A Perfectly Normal Human Family
by Tears and Rain
Summary: AU! Loki and Thor are kids of a perfectly normal human family. Okay, maybe not so normal. This family have issues. While Thor's got friends and his dad's love, Loki struggles to deserve and receive both.
1. Welcome Home

**A/N: So, I had an idea for a Thor AU, and I couldn't really resist making them kids (****because Kid!Loki is absolutely adorable!) and this happened. This could turn into more than just a depressing one-shot, and you could meet some of Loki's (and fine, Thor can have some too) friends, and Odin could _eventually_ (possibly) have some sense beat into him (literally or not). Okay, to be serious, we'd go through the angsty years of a teen-aged Loki in future chapters (_really_ future chapters because here he's about five) and SERIOUS Odin bashing!**

**Oh, yeah. I OWN NOTHING! In case you hadn't figured that out yet...  
**

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"Mom! Mom! Dad's home!" Thor started bouncing around the living room, climbing on furniture and roughly petting the poor old golden retriever that had happened to be in the way of his completing his happy dance. "Come and see! Come and see! He's pulling something out of the back seat! I think he has presents! _Presents!"_

Frigga laughed at her son's enthusiasm, coming out of the kitchen with a flour-covered apron and a mixing bowl. "Calm down, Thor, or you may pass out. Loki, you're getting nose prints on the window! Back up! Patience, children!" But Loki's nose and hands remained firmly pushed against the window as he watched his father approach the front door via walkway, and Thor continued to bounce around in circles.

When Odin caught sight of Loki in the window, now waving ecstatically, he frowned, causing Loki's own smile to waver. With a threatening point at Loki's left hand, still pressed against the glass, Odin turned his head and walked on. Loki felt his stomach knot up as he pulled his hand back, realizing that he had already done something bad, and Dad wasn't even in the house yet. Quickly, Loki realized that there were lots of things he was doing wrong right now! His feet were on the couch, his socks were on upside down (you couldn't really blame him for that; he was wrestling with Thor and the socks were too big) and his pockets had candy wrappers in them.

Just as Loki had fixed his socks, Odin opened the front door and saw Loki, giving him another frown. Loki blushed and stood, shoving his wrappers as deep as he could into his pockets. "Welcome home, Dad." Odin grunted and turned to Thor, who was currently barreling toward him.

"Dad! You're home! Did you bring me something? Did you?" Loki wanted to tell Thor to stop repeating himself, but he knew that Odin would just tell him to not lecture his brother. So he stayed quiet and let Thor talk. "It's been weeks since I had a new present," Thor happily told Odin from where he was being held in his father's arms.

Odin chuckled and sat down in his arm-chair, still holding his son. "I did bring you gifts, my boy, but they must wait for tonight. Right now I want to talk to your mother, so go play with Loki in the back yard." I'll come and get you when dinner's ready."

Thor grinned and hopped off of Odin's lap. "Alright, Dad! Come on, Loki," the boy exclaimed as he grabbed his younger brother's hand, racing to the back door.

Odin stood when the children had disappeared and the back door had slammed shut. He pulled Frigga into a long hug after she had put the bowl on a table, but she remained tense in his arms until he pulled away to look at her questioningly. "You didn't say hello to Loki."

Odin sighed and turned away. "The child was blatantly disobeying me again. He had his hands on the window and he still won't tuck his shirt in."

"It's been over a month since he's seen you. He was excited and got too close to the window."

"Exactly!" Odin exclaimed, turning back to her. "I gave him an entire month to fix himself up, and he couldn't handle himself for even a minute."

Frigga sighed and picked up her bowl, disappearing into the kitchen. She knew when Odin was shutting her out, and this was one of those times.

**-0-**

As soon as Loki heard Thor slam the door behind them, he let out a breath of what could only be called relief. Dad hadn't yelled at him. He hadn't done anything _too _wrong, and Odin had realized it was an accident. "Hey, Loki, let's go build a castle in the sandbox!"

"Okay!" Loki smiled and let Thor lead him to their small sandbox in the corner of the yard. Soon enough, their hair was dirty, their toes were ticklish, and their nails were full of sand. Plastic buckets were being repeatedly filled and emptied onto one spot in the center of the box, but no castle seemed to form. Instead, the two little boys had masterfully created one giant (in a child's eyes) sand hill. As exciting as this is during the first few minutes, soon enough the art of sand can bore a boy. And that's what happened to Loki. So he decided to go inside and see if dinner was ready. He was just about to step into the living room when he heard Odin talking.

"The child was blatantly disobeying me again," he heard his father say. "He had his hands on the window and he still won't tuck his shirt in." Loki looked down and saw that yes indeed, his shirt wasn't tucked in. He sighed and started to fix it. _So Dad had cared..._

He turned around and went back outside, deciding that playing with Thor really wouldn't be _that_ boring.

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**A/N: So? What'd you think? Should I continue? Tell me! You can review below.**

**Thanks for reading and I hope you guys (girls?) had as good a day as I did. :)**


	2. Dinner

**A/N: Woohoo! Second chapter! *parties for a few moments* Ahem. So, explaining the last name. Since this is a human family on current-time, Earth, they're not doing the changing (father's name)son thing. But then there's the problem of _what name to give them?_ So I decided to take Odin's dad's name (Bur, Burr, Ber, Berr, ect.) and make the son a sen. SO! We have... *drum roll* the Bursen family! :) Yay! So, yeah. Loki Bursen, Frigga Bursen, Thor Bursen, and last (and definitely least) Odin Bersen! Explanation complete!**

**I was talking yesterday to a friend about Thor and I called Odin a (plug your ears, children) bastard. She responded with something along the lines of, "Why would you call him that?" So I realized that not _everyone_ out there is an Odin hater! So, sorry anyone who is offended by my taking Odin and making him a jerk. He's just so easy to call bad!  
**

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The Bursen family's dinner began in silence - uncomfortable silence for all but Thor, who was quite contentedly telling Odin of his stay at a friend's house the previous week. "So Steve gives me a sleeping bag and says I can sleep on the couch. But _ev'ryone _knows that I'm not comfy on a couch. So Bruce says I can have his faton. That's a couch too, but it can turn into a bed."

Loki picks at his green pepper slices as he listens to the conversation, noting Thor's mistaking the couch's name. "I think it's called a futon."

"Don't correct your brother, Loki."

"But-"

"If I wanted to tell him he was wrong, I would have. Leave the teaching to the parents."

Loki turned his eyes back to his plate and and stirred his vegetables in an odd circle.

Frigga sent a firm glare Odin's way and put a gentle hand over Loki's. "It's not that we don't appreciate your opinion or help, my son. But sometimes we can allow others to be wrong. No harm comes from Thor forgetting that it was a futon, but by correcting him, you pointed out a mistake and made him look stupid. Do you understand?"

The bad feeling in Loki's stomach lessened when he knew what he had done wrong and that he had a way to fix it. "Yes, Mom. I'm sorry, for telling you you're wrong, Thor. And I'm sorry for trying to talk back, Dad. I'll try not to do it again."

Thor smoothly delivered a "That's okay, Loki!" while Odin simply thanked his for his apology.

Even so, Loki breathed a sigh of relief and basked in his mom's proud smile.

"Hey, can we go watch a movie?" Thor asked.

"Not until you finish your vegetables," came the usual response, causing Thor to groan, but start shoving beans and other various greens into his open mouth.

Loki sniggered around his red pepper slices, but made a sour face himself when the gross taste hit his tongue.

**-0-**

While the children sat in the basement, giggling over the dancing penguins in _Mary Poppins, _Odin was sitting in his armchair and Frigga was clearing dishes from the table. "I wish you wouldn't interrupt me like that," Odin said. Frigga stopped lifting a plate and looked up to see him frowning condescendingly at her. "I was teaching him a lesson and your interference was not appreciated."

"Loki didn't know what he did wrong. Nothing comes of just correcting without explaining. But if you help the child to understand his mistakes and encourage him to handle situations better then he will be grateful for your help and obey as a trusting child always does."

"Loki understood exactly what he did wrong. He was pushing his limits!"

"The boy merely corrected his brother! He just gave a suggestion!"

"A suggestion that was entirely unwarranted!" Odin stood and stormed out of the room, dropping his book on his seat before he left, leaving Frigga to work the conversations through her thoughts and wish that he could see how sweet and perfect Loki really was.

**-0-**

Loki sat next to Thor on the carpet of the basement, thinking over what he had said at dinner. Before he opened his mouth, it had all sounded good. He just said that he thought a futon was called a futon. But now he realized that he was telling Thor he was wrong, which really meant he wasn't as smart as he was and that was mean. And he really did regret that. "I'm sorry, Thor."**  
**

Thor looked over at him with a confused look on his face. "Sorry? For what?"

Loki turned so that he was on his stomach with his feet in the air, facing Thor. "For calling you stupid. I really didn't mean to. I just thought you'd want to know for next time."

Thor still looked puzzled for a few seconds before he finally caught on to what Loki was talking about. "Oh, Loki. No, you weren't calling me stupid! You really were just trying to help. And that's okay, really. I would have felt like an idiot if I had said 'faton' in front of my friends tomorrow. So really, you helped me." Here Thor got onto his knees and put his hand on his chest, putting on a comical adult voice. "So, Brother, I thank you for the kind favor that you have...there's a word for this...Oh! Yeah! Um, the kind favor which you have _bestowed _upon me." Loki burst out laughing and rolled onto his back, holding his stomach at Thor's antics. Thor smiled, seeing that he had succeeded in cheering Loki up. "Seriously, Loki. Dad was just in a bad mood. He didn't mean to say that."

Loki quieted and looked thoughtful again. "Yeah, I guess. Thanks, Thor.

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**A/N: Yup, that's it for now! I'd really appreciate reviews for this chapter 'cause I'm not %100 happy with it. **


	3. Presents

**A/N: Well, here's another chapter! I hope you like it. :) This is longer than the last two! Payback in reviews?**

**Btw, how often should I update? Once a day (with possible exceptions) and about 1,000 words? Or once a week and who knows? Or other?**

**Oh, yeah! I never did give a quick explanation as to why Odin was being "welcomed home". Honestly, the best I can come up with is he was on a _very_ long business trip. :) Now he's back, and as many fathers do, he brought presents!**

**I do not own the books and games I named here or the Avengers/Thor! Just in case you didn't know. ;)**

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After _Mary Poppins,_ Thor and Loki were called back upstairs to open Odin's gifts. Odin had relaxed and calmed himself down after his and Frigga's...discussion, and Frigga had just pulled some chocolate chip cookies out of the oven and the delicious smell filled the rooms. Odin sat in his chair while Frigga shared a love-seat with the two boys.

The first gift bag was given to Loki. It was a rather large bag (for a six-year-old boy) and Loki's eyes lit up in excitement when he saw it. After removing the tissue paper, he was able to see what was inside. _Books! _Loads of books! Well, fine. There were only five. But _still! _The books were _The Knight and the Dragon, _a crafts book _The Never-Bored Kid Book, Ages 4-5, _and three Dr. Seuss books, including his most favorite, _The Lorax._ Which was good timing, because just a week ago, Thor had spilled his chocolate milk all over his hard-cover copy. "Thank you, Dad," he said as he opened the first book. "I love it."

Odin nodded, mentally approving of his own gift choice and handed a box to Thor, who was bouncing up and down so much Frigga had to jokingly hold him down. Wrapping paper was torn, cardboard was thrown aside, and _finally_ Thor held two Wii games: Lego Starwars and Lego Batman. The smile that Thor gave Odin would have melted any woman's heart. "Thanks, Dad! This is so great!" He launched himself at his father and gave him a huge hug before settling down on the man's footrest and reading the back of the game cases.

Frigga smiled at her boys' excitement and silently accepted her own gift, which was held in a small bag with a gold ribbon tied around the top. After pulling the strip of fabric away, she reached in and found a good number of chocolates and caramels. With a wink toward her husband she popped one into her mouth and let the taste take over her thoughts for a few moments. Loki lay his head in her lap (somehow managing to keep his feet on the floor - or at least not on the couch) and she opened her eyes, smiling. "Boys," she said. "Don't you have something to give to your father?"

Loki's head shot up and Thor hopped to his feet. They were both running toward Thor's room in a flash. "I forgot!" Thor yelled. "Be right back!" hollered Loki.

Frigga chuckled at Odin's raised eyebrows. "They've put a lot of work into this and there have been many failures. They're rather proud of this draft, so make sure to compliment it a few times."

"Oh, dear lord, what could it be?" Frigga laughed again at his mock fright, but quickly sent him a serious look to make sure her point got across. He smiled and nodded, waiting patiently for his sons' return.

Soon enough they came down, Loki hiding something behind his back. Soon enough they stood in front of Odin, slightly leaning into each-other and trying to contain their excitement, but quite amusingly failing. Odin chuckled when he heard Thor whispering, "One, two, three-" and both boys burst out with a "Welcome home, Dad!" and presented - a card. The edges were unevenly cut and the card read _"W__elcom home"_. Notice the E was missing.

Odin took the card and opened it. On the left side there was a child-drawn picture of a man standing in what he assumed was an open doorway. There was "_We"_ written in pencil above the character's head in Loki's hand-writing, then following it was_ "missed you"_ in Frigga's perfect cursive. On the left side, there was a piece of paper cut out on all sides but one and a tab sticking out of he card. Above the tab, Thor's handwriting read _"PULL"_ so Odin gently pulled. Nothing happened. The tab didn't even move. Confusion and dread lit up in both the childrens' eyes so Odin tried again. "I'm sure it's just stuck," he said. Still nothing happened.

"May I look?" Loki ask. Odin handed him the card and Loki peeked through the hole the tab went through and gasped. "We glued it on the paper! Thor, we _ruined it!_" Thor grabbed the card from him and studied it as well, reaching the same conclusion.

Being slightly less upset than Loki, he gave the card back to Odin and explained how it was supposed to have worked. "Here. You're supposed to pull the tab and then this paper," he pointed to the paper almost entirely detached to the rest of the card, "is supposed to be pulled back."

Odin nodded understandingly and peeked behind the flap of paper. There was a printed out picture of an open and empty suitcase and words below it that read, _"Never leave again."_ Just in case anyone didn't know, grumpy men can have a soft spot for little glued-in-the-wrong-places cards. "Sorry, it didn't work, Dad," Loki mumbled.

Odin looked up and smiled warmly. "It's fine, Loki. As your mother always says, 'it's the thought that counts'. And this," he held up the card. "is most definitely going in my memory box." Both the boys' faces lit up as Odin knew they would. Each member of the family had a memory box; a box to put memorable pictures or objects in, and once a year (to be honest, sometimes people would peek) they would all bring out their boxes and look through them. If something made it all the way past the garbage can and into the memory box, it was truly special.

**-0-**

Loki sat in his bed that night looking over his new books, which were spread all across his mattress. He was looking at a picture in the dragon and knight book when Frigga came in and closed the door behind her. Loki looked up when he heard the door and smiled at her. "Mommy! Can you read me this story?" He held up the book by the back cover, letting the rest of the pages hang in the air.

Frigga smiled and took the book. "Of course, my little darling. But first, I want to talk to you about something." She sat down and pulled Loki next to her. "Tonight at dinner, your dad was a little harsh with you. I just wanted to say that he didn't mean to be. He was just tired after the plane ride and not his best self. He was right that you shouldn't always tell Thor when he's mistaken, but he taught the lesson wrong. When that happens, it's best to just smile and say 'okay'. And then I'll talk to him later. Alright?"

Loki wrapped his arms around his mom's waist and smiled up at her. "Okay, Mom. I already talked to Thor about it and he said that Dad was just in a bad mood and didn't mean to be..." Loki trailed off, forgetting his word.

"Harsh?" Frigga suggested.

Loki beamed again. "Yeah. Harsh."

Frigga smiled and kissed Loki's forehead. "And Thor was very right. Now," she said in a loud voice as she fell sideways onto the bed, pushing her feet under the covers which were pushed down to the edge of the bed already. "Tell me what you already know about this book."

Loki giggled and climbed onto her, resting his head against her chest and looking up at the book's pictures. "It's about a knight and a dragon. Both of them have never..."

**-0-**

Thor was nearly asleep when his mother cracked the door open, letting light spill into the room. "Mom? What's wrong? Did Loki have I nightmare? I can go sleep with him if you want to-"

Frigga smiled softly at her son's care. "No, my love. Loki is fine. I just finished reading him a bed-time story." She sat down at the head of Thor's bed and ran a hand through his hair. "I wanted to thank you for what you did today."

Thor looked at her confusedly. "What'd I do?"

"You accepted Loki's apology at the dinner table, and I hear that you comforted him later in the basement."

Thor frowned and sat up. "Yeah, I did. I don't get why Dad was so mean! I mean, I didn't mind that Loki told me I was wrong. And the 'he was just in a bad mood' excuse is getting old. I don't know how long Loki's gonna believe that he's barely ever mad at me and barely ever _not_ mad at him!"

Frigga's smile slipped away and she nodded understanding. "Dad sees things very differently from us, Thor. Sometimes when things bother us, he sees them as fine. Sometimes it's the other way around. Now I'm trying to help Odin to see our side of things - but in order to do that, we all need to be patient and kind. We can't just run over him or he'll stop listening to what we say. So in the meantime, keep being nice to Loki and forgive him like you did tonight. Alright?"

Thor's eyes were downcast and he shook his head in frustration, but said yes anyway, letting his head fall back onto his pillow. "Okay. But I think Loki might stop liking me if Dad keeps ignoring him."

"Why would he stop liking _you?"_

Thor sighed. "Because he'll get jealous. If Loki likes Dad, but Dad likes me then Loki's not gonna like me."

Frigga understood now. She laid a comforting kiss on Thor's forehead and smiled down at him. "Then you'll have to be extra nice to Loki and make sure you include him when you play with your friends."

**-0-**

Odin turned to face Frigga as she crawled into bed. "Where were you?" he asked. Not demanding, just curious.

"I was talking to the boys."

"Hm... Well, now that that's done," Odin pulled his wife nearer to him and lay a soft kiss on her lips. "Where's my present?"

Frigga chuckled and rolled over so that she was facing away from him. "We're going out to dinner tomorrow. I called Sue. She's coming over with Steve and Tony to watch the kids."

Odin kept his arm wrapped around Frigga's waist and closed his eyes. Dinner sounded like a good plan. Even if that did mean he got nothing tonight.

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**A/N: So...What did you think? Yes? No? Maybe so? Please do review! I actually tried at making Odin nice in this one so I don't really know how that one turned out. O_O And Tony and Steve should be making an appearance next chapter! PRAY FOR ME! I have never written Steve and I've only written Tony during fluffy happenings with Loki! *panics* AND THEY'RE KIDS!**

**P.S. Review, please! Hopefully you will (not) catch on to the fact that that's the third time I've asked. :)**


	4. Math

**A/N: Noooo! I was supposed to post this tomorrow! *sighs* But I just could not resist. If I have an idea close enough to good to pass my eye, I must write it. If I have something written down,_ it must be posted!_ So, here's the fourth chapter. :)**

**It was brought to my attention that I have not told you Thor and Loki's true ages yet! Oops. *blushes* Loki is six and Thor is eight.**

******I'm making the boys home-schooled 'cause that gives them more time to be together in the fic.**

**I'm sorry, today wasn't the baby-sitting chapter. You can bet it'll be tomorrow, though, since I seem to be posting things ahead of time now... :)**

******Question: Do you guys mind my not really having a plot? I mean, there's gonna be Odin's reason for hating Loki later, but for now they're just kind of adorable/fluffy boys.**

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Loki stuck his tongue out the side of his mouth, concentrating hard on the math problem before him.

_Diana was picking berries. She found eighteen berries altogether. If she found six blueberries, how many other berries did she find?_

The only things that kept running through his head was _"Well, I don't know!" _and _"Psst! Hey, Thor, how do you set this problem up?"_ But Frigga was right next to him, leaning over the paper as well, so there went asking for secret help.

"Well, Loki?" Frigga asked. "What's the first step to solving this problem?"

"Uhh... Is it plussing?"

"Adding, and no." Loki could hear the smile in her voice. "You know this, Loki."

"Minus."

"Subtraction."

"Subtracshion." Loki confirmed and started to re-write his problem in the form he was used to.

Frigga laughed at his pronunciation. "Close enough."

_18 - 6 = __

Frigga encouraged him to finish the problem and he did. Eighteen minus six equals twelve. "Great, Loki. That finishes your math for the day so you can put a gold star on now." Loki cheered a "yay" and hopped off his chair to get a sheet of stickers from the school basket. Frigga straightened and saw Thor still sulking over his math book. "Thor, if you don't finish you don't get a gold star."

"I don't care about a gold star."

Frigga smiled and walked over to look at his set of problems. "Yes, I suppose you are getting too old for that. Well, I guess we'll just have to do it this way. Loki, come here."

Loki looked up from his newly starred math page and scampered over to sit next to Thor. Once he was in his chair, Frigga slid into one of her own. "Your father and I are going out to dinner tonight-" Both boys' eyes lit up with excitement. Friends always came over when Mom and Dad went out for grown-up alone time. "But you won't get to play while we're gone if you're school's not done."

Thor's face fell - and adorably, so did Loki's. "But - but that means Thor doesn't get to play."

Frigga nodded. "If Thor doesn't do his math like he's told, that's _exactly_ what's gonna happen."

Loki's head shot up as he thought of something. "Can I help him?"

Both Frigga and Thor gave Loki odd looks, and his brother voiced both their thoughts. "Loki...You're in first grade. You can't help me."

Loki turned to his brother with the strangest look on his face - happy. And I think we can all agree that that's strange for a boy who had just volunteered to help his older brother do school. "Yes I can. I'll just do what Mom does."

"What I do?"

"Yeah. I'll tell you that you're doing a good job when you finish a thing, and when you're stuck I'll read it out loud to you."

Frigga couldn't help it. Her heart just melted. Yes, her own son turned entire thought process into a pile of goo. And judging by the goofy grin spread across Thor's face, the idea was a good one. "Alright, Loki. Thanks."

Loki ran to the corner of the dining room and picked up a small stool there. He plopped it down behind and a little to the right of Thor's chair and climbed on to the top step so that he was (more or less) towering over Thor. He jutted a hand into Thor's mop of a head of hair and tried to run his fingers through it, but - being unskilled in such an art, he ended up just tugging at it.

"Now," he began. "Where are we? Yes, I see now. Problem sixteen. I -" Loki stopped to gasp. "You have _sixteen_ problems? How many more do you have to do?" When Thor hid a chuckle, Loki realized that he had fallen out of playing Mom. "Uh, I mean -" he cleared his throat and went back to twisting Thor's hair with his fingers. "Problem sixteen. 'If Mary had nine gu- guaye-"

"Guavas." Thor interrupted.

"Okay. Mary, nine...guavas. If Mary had nine guavas, but gave a third of them to her sister, Susan, how many guavas did she have left?" Well, that's the idea of what he said. But truthfully, it had more stuttering and tripping over words than written. No matter how smart Loki is for a six-year-old, he can't pronounce _everything_.

Frigga smiled from where she watched. Loki must be the cutest younger brother in the world because _this _was just - adorable. She pulled a disposable camera from a cupboard and snapped a couple pictures when the boys weren't looking. A couple turned into a few. Fine, I won't lie to you - by the end she was asking the boys to pose and say "cheese".

**-0-**

Soon enough (if you ignore all the pauses to untangle Loki's fingers for poor Thor's hair or the stops to play for a few minutes of Frigga's picture taking) Thor had his math done and it was just past lunch-time. The boys were swallowing the last of their sandwiches. Frigga was on the phone with Sue, confirming the time she should come over.

_"I might be a little late,"_ Sue said. _"I've got to pick Tony up too and Steve can't find his tennies."_

Frigga laughed. "That's fine. As long as you're here by six everything works out. Thanks again for doing this."

_"No problem, Hon. I know what it's like to want a night alone with your man."_

"Alright. I'll see you later, Sue."

_"Bye."_

Frigga hung up the phone and turned around to see Thor and Loki wrestling on the floor. "Boys, time to clean up! Your father's going to be home soon. Do you want him to see a messy house?"

A duo of "no," shot up from the floor and both children hopped up to start picking their toys up off the floor while Frigga left to get ready.

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**A/N: This is the exact stool I was talking about. Just to help you visualize it. :) images .dallasmidwest product/product/UNE-CSC11135CLGG1_med. jpg**

**Review, please! What do you think of Thor and Loki doing math?**


	5. Steve and Tony

**A/N: Here I am again! Hey. Okay, ages... Steve is seven (just turned) and Tony is eight like Thor. Now, I think there was something I wanted to tell you guys about this chapter, but I forgot. :/ So if something doesn't make sense or you just wanna know something feel free to tell/ask. :)**

**Enjoy!**

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Odin arrived home a bit later than normal, but that was alright because he had stopped to get flowers for Frigga, and Sue was also late. Frigga was looking in a mirror, making last-minute adjustments to her hair and Odin was tying his shoes when the angel of a reason they were able to get out arrived...with two dwarf-sized tornadoes. The door bell rang and both Thor and Loki ran to the entry-way, reaching for the door handle.

Loki got to it first, but (because he tripped Thor during the race) he let his brother open it. Thor did with an excited grin, revealing Sue, Steve, and - "THOR!" A huge mass of Tony hurled itself at Thor, causing him to stumble and fall onto his back. Not that he minded, of course. "Tony!"

His friend crawled to the side, while somehow still bouncing up and down. "I have the _coolest_ thing I need to show you!"

Thor stood and grabbed Tony by the arm. "What? What?"

Tony winced and sucked air through his teeth in pain, pulling Thor's hand away. At Thor's confused look he grinned and pulled up his sleeve._"This."_ On Tony's inner-arm was a five inch scrape. "Isn't it awesome? I got it while helping Dad with his car. I slipped and tried to grab something before I fell, but instead my arm caught onto something sharp. My dad told me what it was called, but I forgot now. Some kinda tool. Anyway," Tony got back to his question. "Isn't it awesome?"

"Yeah," Thor said, staring amazed at the scrape. "But-" his face scrunched up at the thought. "Was there a lot of blood?"

"Nah, not really," Tony replied, pulling his shirt sleeve back down. "The cut wasn't deep. Mom says it won't even scar unless I pick at it."

While the two older boys were talking, Loki ran over to hug his own close friend. "Hey! I have something to show you in my room! Do you wanna come see it?"

"Sure!" The boys started running to Loki's room when Sue caught Steve by the back of his shirt.

"Not so fast, young man. Thank Mr. and Mrs. Bursen for letting you visit."

Steve rolled his eyes but approached Loki's parents with a pleasant smile. "Thanks for letting me come over, Ma'am, Sir. I really appreciate the opportunity to play with Thor and Loki."

Frigga "awww"ed while Odin gave a huge smile. "It's our pleasure, Steve. Besides, we need someone to keep the boys out of trouble." He winked and led his wife to the entry-way.

He turned at the door, as if he just remembered something. Glancing through the children, he singled Loki out. "Be good," he demanded, pointing threateningly at him.

Loki nodded, frantically trying to figure out what he had done recently that would make Odin think he _wouldn't_ be good. _He must have found out I broke the water sprinkler, _he finally thought. But the truth was the water sprinkler had broken that day while Loki was using it, not _because_ Loki was using it. And Odin had never heard of it.

"Thanks again for doing this, Sue." Frigga said before they finally left.

"Oh, it really is no trouble. I can knit anywhere," Sue said, holding up her yarn bag. Frigga nodded and followed Odin out the door.

Sue turned to where the children had last been, but couldn't see them. She heard a crash and glass break in the area of the kitchen and started running. There she saw Thor standing on a counter, his hand held high in the air (in the direction of the top of the cupboards) and Tony pressed to the back of the wall. In between them and on the floor was a shattered jar with the word _Cookies _carved into it. Well, now it was the word _Cook _with an _I_, _E _and _S_ lying around it. Hands on her hips, she sent the boys a _very_ disapproving look.

_Well, _she thought. _This could get interesting..._

**-0-**

Loki was upstairs with Steve. They were both on his bed, lying on their stomachs with their feet in the air. "My dad got me this book when he came home yesterday," Loki said while opening the crafts book. "It's got the coolest stuff in it! I thought we could do these together." Loki flipped to the maze puzzles and giggled when he saw Steve's eyes light up.

"Yes! Do you have crayons up here?"

"Only color pencils. Dad doesn't like crayons up here. He thinks they're gonna get mushed into the carpet." Loki stuck his head and one arm under the bed, looking for his box of pencils.

"Can't color pencils do that too?"

Loki shrugged. "Mom said it isn't as easy to do. So we get color pencils." Loki's head popped up again; red, but with a triumphant grin and he held the box above his head like a trophy. "Got 'em!"

Steve giggled and grabbed a green color while Loki took orange. Once they agreed on which side to start with, they went their separate ways in exploring the paper paths, winding their hands and arms around each-other when they crossed paths. Steve swallowed nervously, looking up at Loki who was concentrating hard on the maze. "Loki?" he continued when his friend looked up. "Why did your dad tell you to be good tonight? Did you do something wrong?"

Loki frowned, but feigned carelessness. "I dunno. I think I broke the water sprinkler today, but he didn't get mad at me for it so I don't think he knows."

Steve nodded. "I wonder why he did it then. Do you think he-" Steve swallowed and shook his head. "Never mind."

Loki raised an eyebrow, but didn't press. If you only just met Steve, you'd already know that he takes everything at his own pace.

**-0-**

Later all four boys were playing cards (Go-Fish since Loki and Steve didn't know any others) and Tony brought the subject up again. "So, Loki. What'd you do to get _that_ look from your dad?"

"_'That' _look?" Loki asked and Thor's entire face broadcast alarm.

"Yeah, you know. That 'I'm extremely disappointed in you, Son. Don't mess this chance up.' look."

"Well, I - I - was he really saying that?"

"Well, yeah! I -"

Seeing Loki's panicked face, Thor quickly jumped into the conversation. "I'm sure Dad didn't mean for it to look like that, Loki. It was just a warning. I actually think that he meant the "be good" for me, he just looked the wrong way and was too embarrassed to fix his mistake." Tony caught on to Thor's hidden nervousness and wisely shut up.

"Oh," was all Loki said at first. It was obvious he didn't believe that. "But then what did _you_ do?"

Thor grinned sheepishly. "I, um, sort of spilled half the milk carton today when you and Mom were out shopping."

Loki giggled. "The entire thing?"

"Only half. I'm too good to spill the _whole_ thing." Thor joked.

Loki frowned. "But there's no milk in the fridge. Where'd the other half go?"

Thor sat back and patted his belly. "Why, I drank it, of course!" All the boys burst out laughing, but coughed 'em up and went back to cards when Sue gave them a curious and wary look.

**-0-**

Thor sighed in relief when he saw that Loki had forgotten what Tony had said. That was one of the last things he wanted Loki to hear. He just _knew_ that Loki'd be tearing himself apart, trying to find what he did wrong if he thought - knew that that was what Dad's look had meant.

There were a few parts of Thor's reasoning why the look was for him that were really easy to dis-prove. Like the fact that they hadn't had milk in their fridge for over two days. But he hoped that Loki would forget that and just be happy that he wasn't in trouble.

But, sadly enough, hopeful big brothers can't always be right.

* * *

**A/N: Yay! They weren't as hard as I thought they'd be! *celebrates***

**So, I paired Loki and Steve as friends because at this point, Loki's mischievous ways haven't come into being and neither has Steve's wild "do what you think is right" personality. So at these ages, they're just the quieter ones of the group. Tony and Thor are "best buddies" because they're the older and most wild of the group.**

**Reviews, please! Each review makes me super happy and is great encouragement to continue my writing. Ev'ry one makes my day better. Imagine how bouncy I'd be if I had one for every reader! :)**


	6. Thumbelina

**A/N: Oops! I realized after I posted the last chapter that I somewhat left Thor and Tony's cookie problem at a cliffhanger and forgot about it. This is an apology in the form of a bonus chapter. ****So I guess this is going on while Steve and Loki are playing Maze. :)**

**Oh, yeah! Most of the drama planned for this family happens in Loki's teen years, and we do need to get to that eventually. So how do you guys feel about (after a few more chapters) skipping to where Loki's eight? So Thor'd be ten. And they could meet Bruce! :) Yes?**

**I am skipping a couple moths to Loki's birthday (which is Tom Hiddleston's, February Ninth) soon 'cause I have an Evil Odin plan for that...**

* * *

*male's voice* Previously, on A Perfectly Normal Human Family...Well, that's a mouthful. Can't be right... WHO WROTE THIS?

_...she saw Thor standing on a counter, his hand held high in the air (in the direction of the top of the cupboards) and Tony pressed to the back of the wall. In between them and on the floor was a shattered jar with the word Cookies carved into it. Well, now it was the word Cook with an I, E and S lying around it. Hands on her hips, she sent the boys a very disapproving look._

Well,_ she thought. _This could get interesting...

"Oops?" Tony tried when Sue's intense gaze landed on his own face. When that didn't seem to get him out of the spotlight he shrugged and tried to shift the blame. "Don't look at me! Thor's the one on the counter."

"Hey!" The offended boy standing on the counter glared at Tony. "It was your idea!"

"You're the one who said who said you were hungry!"

"And I said we could eat celery!"

"Well it's not _my_ fault you're so clumsy!"

"You're calling _me _clumsy? Who was it that tripped over his _own shoelaces _last week when he-"

"BOYS!" Both kids froze when Sue interrupted their fight. "In this case it doesn't matter whose idea it was _or_ who's on the counter. What matters is you both had a hand in the mischief. Now, since neither of you are my children, I can't punish you - but be sure that I'm going to tell your parents about this."

Both boys nodded respectfully. "Yes, Ma'am. Sorry, Mrs. Rogers."

"Good. Now Thor, you go get the dustpan and broom. Tony, start picking up the big pieces of glass." The boys hopped to and Sue brought a chair and her knitting into the kitchen to supervise their cleaning. Soon enough they were done and all of the glass (along with well over a dozen delicious cookies) were sitting in a garbage can.

"Can we go play now?"

Sue eyed his suspiciously. "What would you be doing?"

"Um...We could play with my airplanes and cars, or we could play Twister, or - "

"Why don't we play cards?" Tony suggested.

Thor made a face. "Cards?"

"Yeah, sure! We could play Phase 10 or something."

Sue grinned. "What a great idea, Tony! Make sure to invite Loki and Steve too."

Now _Tony_ made a face. "Loki and Steve? But they can't play Phase 10!"

"I played that game with Steve just yesterday."

"Yeah, but did he have help?"

Sue frowned. It was true that Steve had been on a team with his dad, and had really only been watching and drawing for him. "I see your point. Just play Go Fish, then!"

Thor brightened. "Loki loves that game! I'll go get them."

Tony groaned and walked after Thor. "Can't we just play Twister?"

**-0-**

After the card game the kids all went down to the basement to pick out a movie. Loki had both his hands in the disk cabinet, reaching to the very back, trying to get to a movie. "We could watch _Spider-Man_," Tony said. "I know where all the scary parts are so I can skip them if you give me the tuner."

"Yeah, but you always sit on the tuner," Loki replied and everyone laughed at Tony's "True...".

"_101 Dalmations_?" Steve suggested.

Thor scrunched up his nose. "Nah, too much dog. Hey! How 'bout _Thumbelina_?"

Tony raised his eyebrows. "Seriously? How girly can you get?"

"I like _Thumbelina_," Loki put in, getting backed up by Tony with a "Me too."

Thor grinned. "Three against one! I win." He stuck his tongue out at Tony before grabbing the movie and popping it into the player. "Anyone knew where the tuner is?"

"Nope."

"No."

"I don't think so..."

Thor sighed. "Great. Could somebody help me look?"

"Why don't we just use the TV's buttons?" Loki asked.

"'Cause Dad'll be home soon and he always watched the TV before going to sleep."_  
_

Loki was on the floor in an instant and looking under the seat.

"Woah, Loki, _way_ too eager to please," Tony said but stopped when Thor sent him a nasty look. "But shouldn't we all be?" With that he started shoving his hands down the cracks between the cushions of the old couch he was sitting on. After a few more minutes of searching and no tuner, Tony thought he felt something. "Hey! I think I got it!" He pushed his hand down further into the tight crack until he was down to his elbow. After a few seconds of searching he tried to pull back but couldn't. "Uh, Thor? A little help here? I think my hand's stuck."

Thor climbed over next to Tony and felt around the area Tony's arm was stuck down. After a few experimental tugs on his arm (much disliked by Tony), he agreed with his friend that yes indeed, he was stuck. "I can go get Sue," Loki offered.

"No!" Tony yelled with a panicked voice. "She'll just pull at it and that hurts too much." Tony twisted his arm back and forth, shook it, and eventually pulled as well. A couple minutes later, he had escaped the couch with his life and, more importantly, his had. But a huge red mark surrounded his arm right below his elbow. After rubbing it for a few moments and puffing his lower lip out, (much to Thor's mock exasperation and the younger childrens' giggles) Tony was back to normal.

"While you getting your hand out," Steve said behind them, "I kept looking for the tuner." He tossed it to Thor who gave him a grateful smile. "Guess where it was?"

No one did, so Steve just told them. "Tony was sitting on it!"

At the same time Tony let out a shocked sound, Thor and Loki burst out laughing. "I was not! I was sitting on a cushion the entire time!"

"And what was under the cushion?" Steve asked.

"The tuner!" Loki giggled.

Steve grinned at Tony smugly. "Yeah."

Tony rolled his eyes and plopped down next to Thor who was already sitting down. "Alright, alright, so I sit on the tuner. Let's watch Miss Thumbs get kidnapped by an evil frog."

"_Thumbelina,_ and she's a toad."

"Yeah, yeah. Hey, you think we could get your mom to make us pop-corn?"

Steve sighed at the unlikeliness. "Guess it's worth a try."

* * *

**A/N: ****BEFORE YOU LEAVE! I have a poll. It won't matter to anyone who isn't reading To Save His Life, but if you are, please visit it.**

**I myself and really weirded out by how this story is going. I honestly hadn't expected to like Thor in this, but he keeps just popping in there with the most perfect way to be an angel in older brother form. Hm. Well, not much to do about it now! :)**

**Review, please! I realized something today. If I had a review for ever chapter from every follower of this story (not counting this chapter) I'd have sixty reviews. That's alot. And sounds awesome. Not that I'm ungrateful for those that I have now! You have no idea how happy I am to have them. I was just giving a math lesson. You can tell me I'm odd in a review. :)**


	7. Consulting

**A/N: Well, here's this! I remembered a couple hours ago (it was a busy day) that I was supposed to write a chapter of APNHF today! So I rushed to my computer and squeezed this from my brain to my keyboard. :) Enjoy.**

**I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!  
**

* * *

All four boys were huddled around a window, watching Frigga and Odin pull up at the curb with identical scowls on their faces. Loki and Thor's stomachs dropped when they saw their parents (Odin especially) and Loki quietly scurried off to his room. Tony shot Thor a worried look when he saw Loki and Thor sent a desperate one back at his friend. "Uh, Mrs. Rogers?" Tony called to Steve's mom. "Thor and I think we left the planes in the backyard. We're gonna go look for them real quick and Steve's saying bye to Loki upstairs."

"Okay, Tony." Sue mumbled without looking up from her work.

Confused but trusting, Steve hopped up and followed Loki upstairs while Tony and Thor headed outside. They stopped at the garage and slipped inside, Tony flipping the light-switch on. "Okay, Thor. What's going on? Is Loki okay? Are _you_ okay? You seem so...tense now."

Thor sighed and sat down on an upside-down bucket. "Dad's getting really mean. He didn't even say 'hi' to Loki when he came home from his trip. And I don't know why. Apparently neither does Loki. It's like Dad's just - holding a big grudge for something Loki _didn't even do!"_ His voice got higher and more frustrated as he went on. "The worst part about it is Mom isn't doing anything. She just gives that frown. I don't know... Sorry, I shouldn't be telling you about this. It's not like you can help." Thor mumbled the last part half to himself.

"Hey," Tony said, pulling up an actual chair and plopping down beside his best friend. "My dad's got the number one temper in America and only stopped drinking himself to sleep a few years ago. I know what grudges are."

"Yeah, but a few years ago, you were six. You don't really remember alot of it."

Tony frowned as he thought back and a dark cloud passed over his eyes. "I remember alot of yelling. And crashing and banging, and Mom screaming at Dad. And whenever he got mad or I did something bad, he'd just _look_ at me, with those big eyes and I just _knew_ that he honestly wished I didn't exist. It was like...wishing you could literally disappear." Tony shivered. "Kinda like your dad did when he left, only worse 'cause mine was drunk."

"I'm sorry, Tony. I didn't mean to-"

Tony looked up and wiped at his eyes. "No. No, it's fine. It's not like he ever hit me or anything. Besides," he smiled. "It _was_ years ago and I barely remember it. I bet I made things alot worse in my head." He sniffed. "Enough talking about me. The point is, I kinda know what Loki's going through. I could talk to him if you want."

Thor hesitated. "What would you say? I'm trying to keep Loki from _really_ finding out that Dad doesn't like him, but it's getting harder." He let out a big breath. "I wish I knew why."

"Well, as far as I can tell, your family doesn't have any big dark secrets." Tony paused. "Do they? Like have you ever walked in on your parents fighting?"

Thor didn't hesitate before shaking his head. "No. The maddest I've seen them at each other is what you saw in the car." _I wonder what they _were_ fighting about, _he thought to himself.

Tony sighed. "Well, it was worth a shot. I don't know, Thor. I guess your dad just doesn't like Snow White gone boy." Then he mentally chuckled. _Hey, I wonder if Loki's adopted or something. _He considered mentioning it as a joke, but he knew Thor'd be horrified at the though. Not 'cause being adopted is bad or anything (they all knew Steve was) but the idea of Odin hating his kid because of it _was.__  
_

**-0-**

Odin and Frigga entered the house and found the living room empty besides Sue, who was previously sitting on the couch, but now stood to greet them. "Hey! How was your dinner?" Her smile faltered when she saw their frowns. "Not well..." she mumbled to herself. "I'll go get the kids."

"Oh, no need!" Frigga stepped forward. "I'll go get them. Do you know where they are?"

"Last I heard, Tony and Thor were looking for something outside, and Loki were Steve are upstairs."

Without further ado, Frigga traveled through the kitchen and stepped outside. There was nothing for Odin to do but collect the rest of the kids, so he headed up to Loki's room. It didn't take long to get there. The door was partially open and when Odin walked in, Loki was on the floor picking something up from the floor and Steve was sitting on the bed, looking rather forlorn.

**-0-**

Steve climbed the stairs and approached Loki's room, knocking on the closed door. "Yeah?" His friend's voice was small; he sounded scared.

"Hey, Loki, it's me. I thought since I was going soon, your parents being home and all, I'd say bye."

The door creaked open and Loki's face appeared. "Are they in the house yet?"

Steve shoved his hands in his pockets. "I don't think so. Is something wrong?"

Loki shook his head quickly. "No. I just - I just wanted to make sure my room was clean."

Only a sigh was heard. It was as good an excuse as any. "Can I come in?" Loki backed away and allowed Steve to sit on his bed. The blonde wanted to ask what was wrong, but he knew that Loki would say 'nothing' even though they both knew there was. So they just sat there in uncomfortable silence, Loki occasionally hopping to the floor to pick something up.

Until Odin came in.

* * *

**A/N: On that cheery note! :) You can expect another update tomorrow, even though this one was a close call. I hope nobody objects to Tony's and Steve's pasts - I mean, feel sorry for him, but don't get really mad at me for writing it. :)**

**Review, please! I'm curious about what you all think of this chapter.**


	8. Help

**A/N: Yay! Eighth chapter. *double take* Eighth! Wow. I've written alot for my normal amount of writing. :) Well, not much to say for this one. :) So enjoy!**_  
_

**Oh, yeah. And in case there's any memory loss going around, I don't own anything. :)**

* * *

_The door was partially open and when Odin walked in, Loki was on the floor picking something up from the floor and Steve was sitting on the bed, looking rather forlorn._

"Loki, what are you doing on the floor?"

The child's head shot up and he turned to Odin like he was caught in the act of something he wouldn't approve of. "Dad! I -"

"I repeat. _What are you doing on the floor?_"

"I - I was cleaning. I wanted to make sure it was perfect for Mom when she came in to read to me." Loki's voice was small and pathetically weak. It made Odin cringe.

"Enough with the excuses. It's time to say goodbye to your guests. Tony's probably already in the living room and how would you know? Your hosting manners are atrocious."

Loki scrambled up and waited patiently for Steve next to Odin at the door. His friend got off the bed, but before he joined their small group he spoke to Odin. "Sorry Loki was up here, Sir. I had brought him up so that he could help me look for something I had left. He was actually really helpful. He found it under his bed."

Odin sent a disapproving frown Steve's way, but stood calmly. "Thank you for explaining to me, Steve."

Steve took Loki's hand and they traveled down the stairs. When Odin was a few steps ahead of them, Steve whispered into Loki's ear, "I know what's wrong."

Loki's eyes widened. "Nothing's wrong," he whispered back.

"Yeah there is. You're dad's mean to you."

"No he isn't! He's just...stern."

"My mom and dad aren't like that. Neither are Tony's. I'll try to think of a way to make yours like you more. Ask your mom if you can come over to my house if you ever need to talk."

Loki choked. "Dad doesn't like me?"

It was only then that realized what he had let slip. "No! I mean yes! He does like you, I know he does. He just doesn't know how to show you. I meant I'd try to find a way to help you see that he does."

Loki nodded, calming down. "Okay. Thanks, Steve." Loki turned to him on the last step and hugged him.

**-0-**

Frigga stepped outside and was about to enter the garden when she saw the light on in the garage. She pushed the door open and peeked her head in. Thor and Tony _were_ there, sitting on a bucket and a chair. They both looked to the door with faces that seemed to say "we weren't talking about anything. Why would you think we were talking about anything? No, we were just sitting here doing absolutely nothing. Don't accuse us of such horrible things!"

"Boys? What are you doing out here? Why aren't you inside?"

Tony stood with a sly grin on his face. "Sorry, Mrs. Burson. But as a magician never reveals his secrets, the greatest superheroes in the _world_ never tell their mothers their brilliant plans. No parents allowed. The mighty Thor and the brilliant Tony Stark will save the universe from mass destruction and you won't even know about it!" Tony punched at the air and gave a sloppy kick for effect.

Frigga chuckled and opened the door wider. "Alright, I won't ask again. But it's time for you to go home, Mr. Stark the superhero."

"Nice save," Thor whispered to Tony as they followed Frigga inside.

Tony laughed in response. "I can't believe your mom took that."

**-0-**

In the car, Steve and Tony were both thinking over what they had talked about with their friends. "Mom?" Steve asked, getting only a distracted "hmm?" from the front. "Why is Mr. Bursen so mean to Loki?"

Sue frowned at her son through the rear-view mirror. "What are you talking about? Mr. Bursen loves his son very much."

"He's really...mean to him. Doesn't thank him for anything, or smile at him, he just...tells him what to do."

"Every parent has a different way of treating their kids, Steve. Every family acts different too. Have you ever seen Loki smile at his dad?"

"Well - no." Steve's forehead creased in thought. Loki _had_ never smiled at Odin.

"See? That right there. They just don't smile at each other! Perfectly normal!"

Tony snorted. Grown-ups. "But Odin smiles at Thor."

Sue scowled at the childrens' insistence. "It's not our right to get into other families' business, boys."

Even though Tony was upset with the brush-off, Steve was content. He had found Loki's problem.

**-0-**

Loki sat in his room alone, waiting for Frigga to come up and say goodnight to him. His dad liked him. His dad _loved _him! He just...loved him different than Thor. Because Thor was better. It made sense for Dad to like him worse than Thor because Thor did everything right. But Loki _wanted_ to do everything right, he just didn't know how.

Steve was wrong. His dad knew how to like him, he just didn't want to until Loki deserved it. And Loki would deserve it. He slipped off his bed and walked the dark hallway to Thor's room, shivering at the cold. He cracked the door open and walked in, closing the door behind him when Thor raised himself to a sitting position and called his name. "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Thor rubbed his eyes and scooted over to one side of the bed. "Sure, Loki. Did you have a bad dream?"

"No." Loki shook his head. "I just wanted to talk to you but I'm supposed to be in bed. So I thought I'd do both."

Thor laughed and pulled the covers back so that Loki could climb in next to him. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"How do you get Dad to like you?" Loki asked, nuzzling into his pillow and letting the bed's warmth consume him.

Thor's smile fell and he lay back down. "I don't understand what you mean."

"Dad likes you. He smiles at you, and laughs at your jokes. I want to know if I can do that too."

"I...don't know, Loki. I don't really try to get him to like me, I just do what I'm told and keep smiling even when he gets mad."

"But I do that and he still likes you more."

"Loki, Dad doesn't like me _more,_ he just likes me different."

"No," Loki said, shaking his head. "I thought that, but people smile when they like someone. Dad doesn't smile at me."

"Okay, Loki. Do you want to talk to Tony? He and his dad are really close. He could tell you what to do."

Loki grinned. "Thanks, Thor!"

"You're welcome," Thor said, faking a smile and throwing an arm over his younger brother's small frame. "But remember that I still like you, okay? I like you alot. You're my most favorite brother."

Loki snorted. "I'm your only brother."

"You're my favorite brother _in the whole world_. No-one could be a better choice."

"You too, Thor."

* * *

**A/N: *machine's voice* You have reached the Author's Note of Tears and Rain. Sadly, it is unavailable but will get back to you as soon as it can. Please leave a review at the beep. *beep***


	9. Trying

**A/N: Well, hello! You're here again! Hi! I'm tired...So I apologize for any typos. If they're there, I blame FF for not catching them. :) Ahem. Before you read, I'd like to tell you that I didn't leave the cliffhanger here to be mean (though the idea of it is a benefit), I left it here because I've reached 1,000 words and I'm too tired to write well! Honestly, guys, be glad for the wait. My writing sucks right now. You'd be begging me to stop if I went on 'cause I'd forget I was writing a word and I'd write "an" three times or something like that. Trust me, it's happened before.**

**Apparently, listening to a crap load o' MIKA does nothing anymore.**

**You should probably get to reading now. *sleepy smile***

* * *

_"I forgot to tell you," _Sue said over the phone. _"Tony and Thor broke your treats jar trying to sneak cookies."_

"The cookie jar?" Frigga turned around to see Thor and Loki giggling over a coloring book and goodheartedly shoving each other to the side. "Thor didn't tell me about that."

_"That's probably because I told him I would. Sorry I didn't tell you last night. It just entirely slipped my mind."_

"That's alright, Sue. Thank you for telling me now."

_"You're welcome, Frigga." _There was a loud crash somewhere in the background and a weak "I'm okay!" barely heard by Frigga, mixed in with Sue's panicked "Steve?" After a few seconds, Sue came back to the phone. _"Sorry about that. Steve fell off the table and I have to find out why he was there in the first place. Are we still up for lunch on Sunday?"_

"Yes." Odin could watch the kids since it would be his day off.

_"Alright. See you there."_

"Bye." Frigga hung up the phone. What was she going to do with her reckless boy?"

**-0-**

"Thor Bursen."

"Yeah, Mom?" Thor looked up from where he was coloring with Loki the next day, but his grin shrank when he saw the stern disappointment on Frigga's face.

"What's this I hear about my cookie jar?"

"Oh."

"'Oh' is not what I'm looking for, Thor. I just got off the phone with Sue."

"Um...Well, Tony wanted a cookie and we're always told to make our guests as comfortable as we can, so I tried to get him one, but-"

"Thor, you told me that _you_ wanted the cookie!" Loki interrupted.

"Be quiet, Loki! I mean, um- I did, but I- um..."

Frigga just hummed and sat down next to Thor. "Obviously, you knot that you did something wrong and you wish you hadn't." Thor ashamedly nodded his head, playing with his crayon. "Well, I can't really ask for more than that. But the inside the car and the fridge _do _need cleaning. Perhaps you could help me with that tonight instead of playing outside with Loki?"

"Yes, Mom."

Frigga smiled. "Good. You can go back to you your coloring now." She set her cell phone on the kitchen counter and made herself a cup of coffee. After taking a few sips, she went upstairs to play her piano, forgetting her phone.

**-0-**

Thor pretended to be coloring his picture of a dragon with Loki, while really he was keeping an eye on his mother and watched her put the phone down. He watched her make and drink her coffee, and _finally_, he watched her leave. That was really perfect timing, because just then Loki got tired of his just sitting there. "If you're not going to color with me could you move over?"

"Sorry, Loki. I'm gonna go get some water."

"Alright," Loki mumbled without looking up. While reaching up with his right hand to get a glass from the cupboards, he swiped his mom's cell with his left. "What are you gonna do with Mom's phone?" Thor jumped at the sound of Loki's voice and turned to see his brother staring at him with a quizzical look.

"Uh, nothing. I mean, nothing _wrong._ I'm calling Tony, to see if he can talk to you sometime soon."

"Then why are you sneaking?"

Thor mentally groaned. "I'm not sneaking! Mom would say yes anyway, I'm just saving time by not asking."

"Oh. Okay." Loki smiled and went back to coloring.

Thor let out a breath of relief and filled the cup he was still holding with water. He climbed up the stairs to his bedroom, locking the door. He flipped the phone open and scrolled through _Contacts_, smirking in triumph when he found _Maria Stark_. He pressed the green phone button and held the cold metal up to his ear. Mrs. Stark answered soon enough with a strong _"Hello?"_

"Hello, Mrs. Stark?"

_"That's me. Who's calling?"_

"Thor. Can I talk to Tony, please?"

_"I'm sorry, Thor, you can't. He's currently fixing a car with his dad. He won't be able to talk until Sunday. Until then he's grounded."_

"Grounded?"

_"Yes, grounded. It was the only thing I could think of after hearing about a certain cookie incident..."_

Thor swallowed nervously. His mother was kinder than he realized. "Um, okay. could you tell him I called?"

_"Will do."_

"Alright. Thanks, Mrs. Stark."

_"Bye, Thor."_

Thor shut the phone and collapsed on his bed. Tony couldn't talk so he'd just have to think of a way to keep Loki okay while they waited for his best friend's advice. He thought long and hard about what to do, but couldn't come up with anything. He was about to fall asleep when he heard...his dad yelling? His stomach dropped so fast he felt sick as he started racing down the stairs. The closer he got, the more he could hear that Loki was crying.

**-0-**

Loki stopped coloring when Thor left and sat back in his chair to think. If all Thor did was smile and be good, then this should be easy. Actually, he didn't know why he was messing up in the first place! Dad was going to be home any minute and he'd be nice and cheerful. He cleaned up his coloring book and crayons and emptied his pockets of what could only be junk ('cause that's what Dad calls it) into his small toy box. He ran to the bathroom and combed his hair down and brushed his teeth with water. He made sure his buttons were done right and mentally cheered when he saw that everything was perfect - his socks were even on right.

He heard the front door open and close and walked to the living room. "Hey, Dad. How was work?"

Odin grumbled something about selfish, greedy idiots who did nothing but sit on their butts all day while he did all the work. The only thing he said coherently was, "Get me some ice water." Loki was in the kitchen in a flash. He got Dad's personalized tall cup from the cupboard and piled it to the very top with cubed ice, just the way he liked it. Then he closed the freezer and filled the rest of the cup with water. He was carrying the drink to his dad with a dish towel and was _almost there..._when he slipped on one of Thor's toy cars and went face-first to the floor.

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**A/N: DON'T HATE ME! Actually, I don't even know if this is suspenseful. I'm literally too tired to know how well I wrote it.**

**More than usual, PLEASE review! And please wish me a happy nap with Loki dreams... :)**


	10. An Accident

**A/N: Hello, all! I'm here and awake! This is a slightly better spelled than Chapter Nine Chapter Ten! I hope you like it. It took a different direction than I had planned, so I guess we'll see how it goes. :)**

* * *

_He was carrying the drink to his dad with a dish towel and was almost there...when he slipped on one of Thor's toy cars and went face-first to the floor._

The glass slipped out of his hand and shattered on the floor. Glass flew every where, in big and small pieces. Loki didn't have time to throw his hands in front of himself so his head hit hard against the floor and he felt glass dig into his cheek. But worse than all of that - the pain, the shock, the pure _failure_, was the sound of his dad's yelling.

He bellowed out how clumsy Loki was and now he had water on the leather couch."Do you have any idea how much this will cost me!" Odin looked up from his couch (which he was frantically dabbing with Loki's dish towel) to where the boy was played on the floor, holding his cheek. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!_ Do you have any idea how much this will cost me?"_

Loki looked from the couch to his dad, then back to the couch. "N-No?"

"Guess! Come on! Guess what I'll have to pay for your _stupid_ mistake!"

Tears spilled out of Loki's eyes and he flinched at his father's words. "I don't know! I'm sorry, Dad!"

"Sorry? You're sorry? Sorry doesn't cut it, Loki!" Odin barked. "You have _no idea-"_

"Dad!" Both Odin and Loki turned to Thor, who was currently running to his brother's side. "Stop it, it was an accident!" Thor turned to Loki, inspecting his cheek. "Are you okay? Does your cheek hurt?"

Loki gasped in pain when Thor touched his bleeding cut, but still shook his head. "M'fine. I'm sorry, Thor! I didn't mean to!"

"What? What happened?"

"I - I tripped!" Loki grabbed Thor around the waste and threw his head to his older brother's chest. "It was an accident!"

"Accident my ass. It isn't that hard to watch where you're going and Loki didn't care." Loki cried harder when he heard what Odin was saying. "If he even cared a little-"

"You think he did this on purpose? Dad, he didn't _trip on purpose! It was an accident!_ Loki's _bleeding! _Do you even care?"

"Don't you yell at me! I know what I saw!"

"Odin!" Frigga ran into the room and swept Loki up into her arms. "Why are you yelling at them? What in the _world_ happened to excuse this?"

Odin just stood there a few moments, processing the sight of both Frigga and Thor holding Loki protectively and glaring at him. _Him. _Finally, he threw his hands up in the air in defeat. "Fine. You deal with him, he's your kid! I give up and I'm done." Odin left the house too soon and slammed the door behind him.

As soon as he was gone, Frigga folded herself to the floor and let Thor climb into her lap while still holding Loki. "Now, my darling. Can you tell me what happened?" She pulled the hair back from her son's wet face and gasped when she saw the blood. "Thor, get me a damp cloth."

Thor didn't need to be told twice. He ran to the kitchen and came back to Frigga trying to comfort a hysterical Loki. "Is he okay?" He asked quietly.

Frigga frowned and took the cloth from Thor. "I'm sure he will be, Dear. Just give me a few minutes to calm him." She dabbed the cloth against Loki's cheek and brushed her thumb against it until a small piece of glass fell from the wound. "Loki, Love. Please breathe."

Loki was trying, but the sobs kept coming. Every time he tried to breathe in, his entire body shook, making it difficult. And then when he breathed out, the air left all too willingly. "I-" he gasped. "I'm try- trying!"

Frigga held him against her chest and rocked back and forth. "I now it's hard to stop, but you need to breathe. Keep trying. Calm yourself down. Take your time. Relax." She rubbed soothing circles over his back with her soft hands and shushed him until he was mostly calm and his breaths turned to shuddering only once in a while. "Now," she began as he sat up straighter. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Loki glanced to Thor, who was sitting a little to the side, but looked like he wanted to tackle Loki with hugs. "I- Dad came home and asked for water. I went to get him some, but- but I tripped on the t-truck." Loki pointed and Thor glared at the accused truck and then the small child went back to his story. "The water went everywhere, and got all over Dad's couch. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Loki launched himself at his mother again and started to cry without tears. "It really was an 'cident."

"I know, Loki. I know..." Frigga thought a few moments before shifting Loki in her arms. "What do you think of seeing Steve?" Loki stiffened for a few moments and Frigga thought that he was actually going to refuse, but he started nodding his head rather quickly. "Thor, can you get me my phone? It should be on the kitchen counter."

Slight...fear? flashed in Thor's eyes, and he ran up the stairs. After sitting there for a while, wondering if she should go after him, Frigga heard Thor on the stair case again. "Um, I sorta borrowed it to call Tony. I left it upstairs," her son informed her at her silent questioning.

Too stressed to care, Frigga gratefully took the phone and speed-dialed Sue. "Hello? Sue, would you mind the boys and me coming over for a bit? Something came up here and I need to get them out of the house for a little while. Thanks we'll be there in about thirty minutes."

* * *

**A/N: I need to stop torturing poor Loki... Six year old brains can't handle this much!**

**O_o I just realized that I titled this chapter the same as my other Kid!Loki and Kid!Thor fic...**

**Please review! I'm stepping into dangerous territory with where this is going and I would feel much safer if I knew that everyone was on board with me! :)**


	11. A Confession

**A/N: Hey, guys! I apologize for the measly size of this chapter; a wimpy six hundred eleven words. *hangs head in shame* I was just too busy today to work up much more and around four o'clock I started to feel sick and the rest of the time either I couldn't get to my computer or I was switching off between watching Once upon A Time and writing... *****hangs head in double shame* So, my dear readers who deserve better, I present to you a very small chapter with a secret revealed. :)**

******I don't own The Avengers or Thor. This carries on through all of the chapters 'cause I'm tired of stating the obvious.**

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Frigga unbuckled her seat belt after she turned off the car in front of the Rogers' house. "Mom, our fingers are still shaking," Thor stated nervously from the back seat.

"Mine are too, Thor. It's adrenalin, remember?"

"Yeah….But I still don't like it. I don't think Loki does either."

Frigga looked back at her youngest son. "Loki, do you feel like talking yet?" Loki jumped and darted a glance at her before looking back to his hands and meekly shaking his head. He hadn't said a word since explaining what had happened earlier, and Frigga was starting to get worried. "Alright, that's fine. Just tell me when you do, okay?" Loki nodded, playing with his seat belt. "Okay. Time to go inside. I'm sure Steve's excited to see you again so soon." Loki offered a small smile, but nothing more.

They stepped inside, getting greeted with gentle hugs from Sue and Maria Stark, who had heard that 'something had come up.' "Thor, Loki. The boys are upstairs in Steve's room. Why don't you join them? We'll bring apple cider up soon."

Thor took a still quiet Loki by the hand and led him upstairs to where Tony and Steve were waiting. Once they were gone, the womens' soft smiles where gone and they sat down at the kitchen table. Sue left to get some already-made coffee for Frigga and placed the warm mug into her hands with a comforting pat on the shoulder. "What happened?" Maria was the first to ask.

"I'm still not entirely sure. I went upstairs near dinner time to play piano for a bit, then near fifteen minutes later, I heard Odin yelling. I started to go downstairs, and the closer I got, the easier I could hear that Thor was too, and Loki was crying. When I final got down there, Odin was standing over the boys and _yelling_ at Thor not to yell at _him._ Thor was holding Loki, who-" Frigga choked and her shoulders shook. "I never thought he'd do this! I – thought that it was getting better. I mean, I knew that Odin never liked Loki for – for what I did, but I didn't think that he really would ever – do that!" Her friends waited patiently, as she tried to hold back her tears, with eyes that told her they felt her pain. "It's not Loki's fault, what happened. He was bringing Odin a glass of water and tripped, breaking the glass and spilling the water on Odin's chair."

"I saw a cut on Loki's cheek. Odin didn't-" Maria broke off in horror. "Did he?"

Swallowing back what was threatening to become a sob, shaking her head. "No. No, Odin didn't hit him. When Loki fell, a piece of glass cut his face."

Both the women breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing into their chairs. "Good," Maria said. "That's when I told Howard I'd leave; he threatened to hit Tony."

Frigga nodded in memory. "You lived with your mother for a few months, while Howard sobered up. Oh, if only it was that easy," Frigga moaned, burying her head in her hands. "The problem is there's nothing to fix. Odin…hates Loki for what he is - for what _I did._ There's nothing to change. I'm afraid that he'll never accept Loki as his son. When I – when I cheated on Odin, I had never…expected anything to come of it. It was supposed to be a way to escape my life, not to create another one."

* * *

**A/N: Well, that's that! It was the plan from the beginning. I hope you like it and aren't too mad at me for throwing this at you in such a way! If anyone finds it a surprise...**

**What do you think? Please review!**


	12. Almost

**A/N: Hey! I still feel so bad about how short last chapter was! So I added like...200 words? to this one. :)**

**Also, I keep finding myself wanting to describe Loki's eyes, but I don't know what color you all prefer. Green was the color in the comics, but they kept Tom Hiddleston's blue in the movies. I personally, do not care. They're both gorgeous. Blue or green? I'm opening a poll where you can vote. _PLEASE_ do! I'm pretty much begging you! Even if you're not following the story, just vote your preference. :)**

**Story time. I hope that you enjoy it!**

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Thor ran upstairs while still holding on to Loki's hand. He could hear their friends in Steve's bedroom and was hoping that Steve could maybe make Loki want to talk. They reached the room and Thor opened it without knocking, courtesies long forgotten. "We're here!" He called.

I wouldn't call what happened quite 'tackling', more like a movement which involved much pulling, tugging, and gentle pushes, which ended with all four boys tangled together on Steve's bed.

"How are you guys?"

"What happened?"

"Why are you here?"

"What's going one?"

"Are you guys okay?"

Tony and Steve had apparently decided to plan their questions before hand, because they seemed to have many. "Dad got really mad at us, then left. Mom brought us here. I think it's so she could talk to your moms."

The smiles fell off their friends faces and they pulled out of the tangled mess, but Steve stayed close to Loki, holding his hand. "Are you okay?"

Loki looked up under the fringe of his hair and offered a small smile. "I'm fine," he whispered.

Thor's face lit up at the sound of Loki's voice, but he kept quiet, trying to not make a big deal of it. "I think we're all mostly just scared."

"Your dad left?" Tony asked. "Did he like..._leave?_ Or is he coming back?"

Loki's shoulders hunched and Thor began before hesitating. "I- I don't know. He'll have to come back," he decided. "He's got all his stuff there." Steve nodded at Thor's logic, but Tony frowned; he and his mom left their stuff when they went to live with Grandma.

"Loki, I wanted to tell you," Steve began. "When your dad comes back, I know how you can make him like you."

Loki felt his chest hurt for a second at the idea, but then he remembered how mad his dad had looked earlier, and he shook his head. "I don't think I can," he replied, a tear sliding down his bruising cheek.

"But I do. Mom said that it's because you don't smile. If you smile enough, your dad will too. Like mine does."

Loki shook his head again and more tears fell. "No. That's what I thought. But I tried and - and he got mad at me."

"He got mad because you smiled?" Tony asked.

Loki started to speak, but only a small squeak came out and he closed his mouth, frantically shaking his head. "It's okay, Loki," Thor said, rubbing his brother's back. "You don't have to talk. Think about what Mom said; it's fine if you don't want to, just tell us when you do." Loki gave a sharp nod in return and leaned into his brother's half embrace.

Thor sent a pleading look toward Tony, silently asking him to drop the subject, and his friend gave a solemn nod in return. "Do you want to play a game, Loki?" He asked instead. Loki froze for a while before looking at Thor, who nodded encouragingly, and nodded in approval. Tony hopped up from the bed and looked to where Steve kept his games. "Um...What's a game that doesn't need words?" He asked to himself. After thinking a few moments, he came up with something. "I know! Charades!" He turned to his friends with a brilliant smile.

"But Loki can't guess," Thor said, his right arm still wrapped around the smaller hiding form next to him.

Tony shrugged. "I'll get a dry-erase board. Be right back," he called, darting out of the room.

After he left there was just silence, but it didn't last for long. Steve (who was rather worried for his friend) crawled over and laid down in front of Loki, who had moved his on head to rest on Thor's folded leg. "Loki?" Now dry eyes flashed open and stared into his own. Why don't you want to talk anymore?"

Loki pondered on how to answer that question without speaking. It wasn't that he _couldn't_ talk, it was just that he _didn't want to._ Every time he thought about it he started to feel sick and wanted to lie down. So he didn't. There was no way to answer the question except to shrug. So that's what he did.

Steve knew that he didn't mean _"I don't know why," _he meant, _"I don't know how to tell you."_ So he turned onto his back and sighed. "Okay. Maybe you can tell me later, when you're feeling better."

Loki nodded and closed his eyes again, wondering if he could fall asleep before Tony got back._  
_

**-0-**

Tony ran down the stairs (holding onto the railing, of course - he didn't want to _fall_) and made his way toward the kitchen. He was about to call out to his mom, but he squashed that idea when he saw the three women sitting at the table drinking coffee, and most importantly, Mrs. Bursen was crying. "...not to create another one," he heard her say.

"Not to create another one what?" Three heads shot up when they heard him.

"Tony! What are you doing down here? I thought I told you to stay upstairs!" His mom stood up and bustled over to him. Mrs. Bursen didn't seem to be capable of moving, and Mrs. Rogers just looked a little bit sick.

"I- I came down to get a dry-erase board for Loki, since he won't talk," Tony said, looking away from the others. "Do you know if there's one here?"

"I _think_ I have one in the kitchen," Mrs. Rogers sniffed. "Wait here and I'll get you it." Tony waited patiently, and thanked Steve's mom when he got it. "I'll be upstairs. We're playing Charades." With that he ran up the steps, occasionally using a hand to pull himself up faster.

The mothers watched him go, holding their breaths, and for some reason, as soon as he disappeared from sight, they let them out. "I don't think he heard anything," Maria said.

"But he could have," Frigga stated, standing up. "I was stupid to start talking here, when the kids were just upstairs. I need to get going. I left glass on the floor at home and the boys need to be getting to bed."

"Wait, you stay here tonight. It'll give Odin more time to cool off and Steve'd love it. Joe wouldn't mind either."

Frigga hesitated. "The boys and I will need things..."

"I'll go back with you to get them," Maria volunteered. "In all honesty, I don't think you're in a state to drive."

Finally, Frigga nodded. "Alright. But we should leave in the morning. I don't want to be an inconvenience to you."

"You're not one at all. We've been friends since college, Frigga. You've been there for us through every step of our marriages, my adopting Steve, and Maria's Howard. The least I can do is let you stay at my house when Odin's being an asshole."

Frigga couldn't help it. She laughed. Sue, who was my far the quietest and most innocent of the three, had called her husband an asshole. And it was funny. Something was seriously wrong.

**-0-**

Tony entered the room again to see all three boys lying down, and probably sleeping, on Steve's bed. He stuck the board and marker under his arm and clapped loudly. "Come on, time to get up! Up and at 'em! Wake up, sleepy heads! It's time to get up! HELLO-"

"WE'RE AWAKE!" Thor threw a pillow at Tony's head while sitting up, but missed and got his stomach. He mentally shrugged. It was still a score in his book. "Do you have the dry-erase board?"

"Yeah, I got it." Tony tossed it to Loki, who just flinched into Thor and took it a few seconds after it his the bed. "Here you are. Who wants to start?"

"I will!" Steve half climbed, half fell off the bed. "What movie are we doing?"

Thor thought a bit, but purposefully blanked his mind when he saw that Loki was writing something real fast. In not-so-neat six-year-old hand writing was _Princes._ Tony squinted. "You wanna do 'Princes'? He looked at Thor. "I don't think I've seen that."_  
_

Loki turned the board around and scowled at it, taking out his marker again. He wrote a bit more and flipped the board. "Princess!" Thor yelled. "You wanna do Disney Princesses?" Loki nodded excitedly at Thor's catching on and smiled.

"Sounds good to me," Steve said. Tony frowned, but eventually agreed as well.

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**A/N: Sorry, guys! I have to go now. I was gonna write the game in this chapter, but I guess it'll just have to wait until next. Or should I not write it? I think I will, but tell me if and why you want it skipped. :)**

**Review, please! Even if you're just passing by, it's _so_ appreciated!**


	13. Charades

**A/N: Okay... :) Here's the thirteenth chapter! I hope you like it.**

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"Okay, so..." Steve pondered on who to play, rubbing his hands together.

"No talking," Tony interrupted.

With an eye roll Steve laughed and mouthed _"fine."_ He got down on his knees and scooped something invisible up with one hand. Bringing...it up to his face, he stared at it with a sour look on his face. Loki was already excitedly scribbling away, but no one else got it until Steve put his face over the invisible object and kissed his own palm. Loki was already waving his board high above his head with a triumphant look on his face. The board read _"Princess Frog."_

"Loki says "Princess and the Frog. Is that it?" Thor asked. Steve stood up and nodded, and gave a dramatic bow, making Loki giggle quietly.

"My turn!" Tony yelled, hopping up and letting Steve take his place. He cleared his throat like he was going to speak, but ended up shutting it and running his hands down what was obviously supposed to be a big ball gown, smoothing out imagined wrinkles. He lifted his left and and stuck his pointing finger out and mutely giggled at what we can only assume was a bird perched on his shoulder. Then he cupped something in both hands and bit into it before falling dramatically to the floor.

"Snow White!" Thor yelled.

"Man, that hurt my knees," Tony whined, climbing onto a chair. "Remind me to just lick a plate next time."

They all laughed and Loki stood up, whispering, "My turn."

He walked over to the center of the floor and puffed out his chest, pulling his shoulders back. Then he started to walk with his knees in and his head held high. He'd walk around to each of the boys and make a disgusted face at them, or plug his nose. Everyone knew that he was playing Mulan, but the act was too funny to make him stop.

When he finally got to Tony, he mock-punched his right in the stomach. Everyone laughed at Tony's dramatic pitching off the chair and screaming at the cruelty of the war, and Steve and Thor joined in the fun, play-wrestling with their friends and pulling hair. I'd be lying if I said that there weren't a few well-aimed kicks in the scuffle of it all. Sue opened the door with perfect timing and Thor, Tony, and Steve stood to the side as Loki, grinning, curled onto the floor and covered his head. "He started it," three boys chorused.

Sue laughed and leaned against the door frame. "You're apple cider's ready, but I want you to come down and drink it." Steve helped Loki up from the floor while Thor ran ahead to get to their favorite mugs. "You okay, Loki?" Sue asked, noticing that the bruise on the boy's cheek was getting more obvious. The boy froze for a few moments, but nodded. "Alright. You boys come down soon, or your cider'll get cold."

"Steve?" Loki asked when they were alone.

"Yeah?" His friend asked, sitting down on the chair Tony had used.

"When you came over, you started to ask me something. About Dad. I wanna know."

"I-" Steve hesitated. "I don't remember."

"Yeah you do. I think you do."

"I was just wondering...if maybe your dad just doesn't like you." Loki sucked in a breath and Steve's eyes widened. "But I didn't ask because I knew I was wrong! Nothing to get sad about. I know he does."

"But- but I don't think he does," Loki replied. "He's never told me he does."

Steve scowled and shifted. "But he didn't told you he doesn't." Steve stopped, realizing what he just said. "Has he?"

Loki bit his lip and shook his head. "No...But he's called me- called me stupid, and said I didn't c-care." Loki sniffed and Steve got off his chair to hug him.

"But he didn't give you away," Steve said.

Loki stiffened and pulled back. "Wh-what?"

"You know how I'm adopted, right?" Loki nodded and Steve swallowed before continuing. "A while ago I asked my mom who my first parents were. She got really sad and told me to sit down. She told me I couldn't know all of it yet 'cause I was too young to get it all, but I know that my first mom and dad didn't want me.

"They didn't know that they were gonna have me, and when they found out there were sad. When I was born they gave me to my now mom and dad." Steve sniffed and sat down again. "Mom says that when I'm older I might get to meet them. But she said probably not." Then he smiled. "But that's okay. 'Cause my mom and dad now are really nice. I don't want my old ones. But anyway, I'm saying this 'cause now you know that whenever your dad's mad at you, at least he didn't give you away. That means he loves you."

"Okay." Loki nodded and hugged his friend. "Thanks, Steve."

He got a lazy grin and ruffled hair in return. "Any time. Now come on. I want cider," he stated, walking out the open door.

Loki giggled and followed his friend.

**-0-**

"Boys, I think we're going to stay here tonight." Frigga waited patiently for the cheers to die down with a smile. "Sue said I could sleep in the guest bed room and you can set up a tent with Steve in his room if you want."

"Is Dad gonna be here?" Thor asked.

Keeping an eye on Loki, who was silently stirring his hot cider with a straw, Frigga shook her head. "No. Dad's gonna stay at the house tonight. I think he wants some space." Thor nodded in approval, but Loki sunk a bit lower into his seat. "I'm going to run back to the house with Maria and get some things like our tooth brushes and a change of clothes for both of you. Okay?"

"'kay," Loki said, and Thor just gave another nod.

"Loki, can you come with me to the front door?" Frigga asked and held out her hand. After almost a minute of staring worriedly at it, Loki slipped out of his chair and took it. "Now," She knelt on the floor in front of Loki when they got to the entry way. "Are you okay, Loki? Do you want Dad to be here?"

Loki started breathing hard and shook his head.

"No? Then why were you sad when I said he wasn't coming?"

Loki hesitated a moment and seemed to be asking himself whether he should talk. "Because," he whispered, "He doesn't want to be here." Seeing Frigga's frown of confusion, he explained further. "Because I'm here."

"No, Loki." Frigga said, taking him into her arms. "No, no. That's not why he isn't here. He's here because _I don't want him here. _He may very well come if I say that he should, but I won't 'cause I'm mad at him."

Loki wrapped his arms around her neck, but pulled back a few inches at the last part. "You're mad at him?"

"Of course, Loki. He was mean to you. No one should yell at their kids."

"But-" Loki stopped and swallowed. "I was bad. He was punishing me."

"Loki..." Frigga held him at arm's length so that she could see his face and wiped away the fresh tears falling down his cheeks with her thumbs. "You weren't bad. It was an accident. You didn't _mean_ to break the glass." Loki flinched at the memory. "You don't deserve to be punished for something like that." She kissed his forehead and mentally punched her husband when she heard Loki take in a shuddering breath and shakily let it out.

She stood and sent Loki to the kitchen, instructing him to tell Maria she was ready to go. Everyone knows that it upsets kids to know that their parents fight and they say to avoid that, almost at all costs. But one thing Frigga would _never_ do is let her son think that his dad's temper was his fault, and that he _deserved _abuse. Never.

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**A/N: Ooh, determined Frigga! *cheers for awesome mothers* Love me, guys. You have _no_ idea how hard it is to write six-year-olds playing charades. :) I hope you liked this! I remind you, the poll on my profile is up there and _waiting for you!_**

**And (since you can apparently have only one poll up at a time), I'll just have to ask you this here. :) How close to mute do you want Loki to become? Do you want the entire thing to die out in a certain amount of time? Do you want it to be an on and off thing like it is now? To you want him to _never talk again?_ A bit dramatic, but this _is_ an angst fic. :)**

**Please do leave a review and tell me what you think, even if you are just passing by and don't follow. Those who _are_ following, double please? You're reading the story! What do you want? WARNING: While I'll consider your opinions, I might not agree with all and in the end, it'll be my decision what happens.**

**Also, normal reviews would be loved and cherished. Seriously, I adore every single one I get.**


	14. A Fight

**A/N: Hello, all! I have officially reached over fifty reviews, so I just wanted to thank everybody who helped with that, especially those who try to review every chapter! And thank you to everyone who has followed and added this story to their favorites as well. You're all so very wonderful and have made me _really _happy! :)**

**Sadly, no children are in this chapter. But to make it up to you, I purposely let Loki's blood father's name slip. :) Enjoy!**

**WARNING: Strong, but brief language in this one chapter.**

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Frigga tapped her fingers against her arm as she tried to sit still in the passenger seat of her own car. "I _can_ drive, you know." She told Maria.

"As you've said before. And as _I've_ said before, the fact that you _can _drive doesn't mean you _should. _This really isn't the best time for you to get in a car crash 'cause you were too busy scowling at your situation to notice the light was red and not green." Frigga sighed and folded her arms, deciding to go back to tapping. "You can talk," Maria said, sending her a quick worried glance. "The boys aren't here; there's not a chance of anyone overhearing."

"There's not much to say, really. I was stupid, I had an affair. My husband found out and my lover ran. I have a wonderful child who is literally too innocent to realize that he isn't at fault. And Odin has the nerve to call him a mistake." Frigga let out a bitter laugh, and Maria patted her knee as one does when they can't give you their full attention but they know you're suffering. "I don't regret it, though. The affair really did help me to sort out my life, and Loki kept me too busy to screw up and have another. I can't say I regret any of it. I just - do you think I should have told Loki?"

Maria hummed under her breath and her forehead creased with stress. "I really don't know. Sue told Steve and he's fine, but the situation is very different. They adopted him. You conceived Loki with a man other than Odin. I think that you were wrong in not telling Loki because now he thinks that he's doing something bad and trying to fix it so that his 'father' will like him. _But,"_ she continued when Frigga moaned. "I think that you were right in not telling him because if you had, he would have thought that his entire existence was a bad thing and he'd know that Odin truly _does_ hate him and there's not a thing he can do about it. And no child should have to deal with that."

"But that's the problem," Frigga sniffed. "I think he does now. He doesn't understand that Odin's just... not going to change, and I can't tell him because then he won't stop thinking he's a problem."

"You do realize that you and Odin might have to separate, right?" Maria asked. "If Odin stays like this...Loki won't be able to handle it. And judging by the way his older brother's been hovering recently, Thor won't either."

"Yeah. Yeah, I do... I just wish -"

"You can't wish right now, Frigga. Reality. When Howard wouldn't quit his drinking, I left. I took Tony and moved in with my mom, without a second thought. As much as I loved my husband, and still do, my son will _always_ come first. It turns out he loved us more than he knew 'cause as soon as he found out that's the way it was, he sobered up and begged us to come home. And now I admire him for that, and he admires me for protecting Tony. And our kid knows how much we both love him." Frigga said nothing as Maria pulled up in front of her house. "I'll wait out here while you get your stuff." She frowned when she saw Odin's small car parked crookedly in the driveway and added,"If you're not out in ten I'm comin' in after ya with Tony's baseball bat."

Frigga laughed. "You brought a _baseball bat?"_

Maria shrugged. "Tony left it in the car after practice yesterday."

They shared a chuckle and Frigga stepped outside. "I highly doubt it'll take that long. I should be back in a few," she said, closing the door and walking up the steps to her front porch. She opened the door and went inside, tossing her keys on a couch on the way to the bathroom. She took her own toothbrush and toothpaste and dropped it into a shopping bag and was about to start up the stairs when a voice stopped her.

"What are you doing?"

She turned and saw Odin sitting in his usual chair, looking a bit worse for wares. "I'm getting some things. The kids and I are staying somewhere else tonight, letting you cool down."

Odin snorted. "Let _me _cool down?"

"Yes. In case you don't remember, it was _you _who towered over your children, yelling abuse at them!"

"I only have one son," Odin replied with a sneer, standing up. "The other one's yours."

"You promised to accept Loki as your own and if this is-"

"I promised to _care for him_ as my own, _not_ accept him. If you, for one _moment_, were under the pretense that I was okay with him coming into my house and calling me 'dad', it wasn't because of me."

"Do you think you've even done that? Caring for someone means caring _about_ them. And I can tell you with all honesty that I haven't seen one _ounce_ of compassion for Loki from you!"_  
_

"I said I'd feed him and clothe him and that's what I've done!"

"Why is it so hard to do more? Why can't you just call him 'son'?!"

"Because he isn't mine!"

"But he could be! Does blood really matter that much to you? Why is it that you can accept _me _back, the woman who betrayed you for lust, but you can't welcome an _innocent boy who's done nothing?_"

"You think he does nothing? I accepted you because you were my wife! I couldn't raise Thor on my own and I thought I needed you! I could forget! I could forget that you fucked another man and I knew you were sorry. But every _single_ time I see Loki, I have to be reminded of what you did. And no one can love what almost ruined their life. I don't even know if you're worth it anymore."_  
_

Frigga blindly took a step forward. "You don't know if I'm worth it? You don't know if _I'm _worth it? _Why isn't he worth it?_ He's perfect! He's sweet, he's innocent, and _all he wants is to please you!"_ Frigga wasn't afraid to admit that she was crying. "What happened? You were always firm with him, but not like this. What made you hate him so much?" It ended with a hoarse whisper, her voice broken with her previous yelling.

Odin swallowed, suddenly looking nervous, but still incredible angry. "He's back. _Laufey,"_ his face twisted when he said the name, "is back. And there's not a doubt in my mind that he's going to try to talk to you."

* * *

**A/N: Yes, Laufey is Loki's dad; this was the plan from the beginning. Did anyone guess it? I'm not sure how much Laufey'll be in the story, but he should make at least one appearance. If you guys (and I) like him, he might stick around. :)**

**Laufey is _not_ blue or a giant in this, he's just tall. Let's say 6' 3". :) Look up Colm Feore, Laufey's actor! Except type in "young" at the end of the image search. It'll give you a rough idea of what Frigga cheated on Odin with. There are changes, of course. Hair color, eye color, ect. But still.**

**:( My poll is getting ignored. I _really_ need to know, guys, 'cause Loki has his father's eyes. If Laufey's gonna show up, I'm gonna give a description. And I need to know what that is!**

**Tell me what you think of these happenings! I was really hesitant in writing this fight, and I'm afraid I screwed it up. :/**


	15. Planning

**A/N: Well, here's what I think is a shorter chapter than normal, if only just by a couple hundred words. :) I've got a busy day ahead of me (and slept in) so I'm pretty sure that if I put this off it's just not gonna get written. I have _not_ read through this, so if anything seems odd, please tell me.**

**I'm closing the poll tomorrow, so thank you everybody who has voted (in reviews and/or on the poll) and whoever hasn't, your time is running out!**

**So, without further ado, the fifteenth chapter. :)**

* * *

_Odin swallowed, suddenly looking nervous, but still incredible angry. "He's back. _Laufey_," his face twisted when he said the name, "is back. And there's not a doubt in my mind that he's going to try to talk to you."_

There was almost a minute of silence and Frigga looked like she was just about to say something when Maria walked through the door...holding baseball bat. Frigga hoped it was just as a joke. Her friend took one look at her tears, and another at Odin before grabbing her wrist and pulling her out the door. Frigga only stopped to pick up her keys, then willingly followed her. "We'll buy whatever you didn't get at a store," she said when they were in the car. She buckled her seat belt, then sighed when she realized Frigga hadn't responded. "Hey." She turned Frigga's face so that she could look for her. "What did he say? Was it bad enough that I can run back in there with Tony's bat?"

Frigga bit her lip and looked like she didn't know whether to laugh or actually cry. She sat back in her seat and looked out the window at her house. Maria just let out a breath and started driving to the nearest Walmart. "He said that he never tried to accept Loki because he wasn't his." Frigga's voice broke the gloomy silence. "He said that-" she stopped to choke back a sob. "He said - or implied, that he only let Loki stay because if he didn't, I would leave him and he couldn't raise Thor on his own."

Maria didn't realize her knuckles were turning white as she subconsciously tried to twist the steering wheel into nothing. "You know that's all bullshit, right?" She saw Frigga nod in the rear-view mirror. "I'm sorry, hon, but if that's his reason for keeping Loki then you're better off without him in every single way I can think of. I-"

"That isn't the part that got me, though." Frigga interrupted. Their eyes met in the mirror. "He said that Laufey's back."

Maria _almost_ ran a red light.

**-0-**

"Okay, kids. What do you wanna do?" Sue asked as soon as Frigga and Maria were gone.

Tony shrugged. "I don't know."

"Puzzles?" Steve asked hopefully.

"We can do puzzles," Sue said while Tony and Thor groaned. "Why not a Mickey Mouse one? That could be fun..." Sue's voice trailed off as she traveled down the hall towards the game closet.

"Why's you say puzzles?" Thor whined. "_Puzzles!"_

"I like puzzles," Loki half whispered, half spoke, and Thor's entire attitude changed.

"Okay. Puzzles sound okay, I guess. Even if Mickey Mouse does creep me out," Thor shivered dramatically for effect and every one laughed.

Once your best friend is in, you're in, so Tony consented as well. "Fine, fine. Puzzles it is. But then I get to dress Loki up."

Loki's eyes flashed with horror and he squeaked, "what kind of dress up?"

Tony just grinned evilly and leaned forward. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

Thor chuckled and Steve edged a bit closer to Loki, grasping his friend's hand, sacrificing himself bravely. "Do I get to play dress-up too?"

Tony sat back in his chair. "Sure. We can always use more princesses." Thor laughed harder when the younger boys yelped. This was going to be fun...

**-0-**

"Laufey's _what?_" Maria tried not to yell as she searched frantically for a parking lot to pull into.

"Laufey's back," Frigga whispered. "I don't know where he is, or even if he's gonna try to talk to me, but Odin said he was and there would be _no_ reason for him to lie about this. And what if he finds out? What if he finds out that Loki's his? Is he gonna try to talk to him? Or try to take him from me?"

"Calm down," Maria said when she saw Frigga getting worked up and parked in a Walmart parking lot. "Laufey wouldn't try to take him from you. He'd have no reason to. The worst he'd do is try to talk to him, but how bad can that be? The only way he'd find out about Loki is if you or someone else tells him, and I don't think any one'd do that. So just breathe and think through what to do. Are you going to tell Laufey that he's got a kid?"

Frigga started to say something, but stopped. "I don't know. It seems like I _should_ tell him, considering someone'd want to know he was a dad, but - Loki can't handle this. _I_ can't handle this!"

"Okay, okay. Just...he might not even try to talk to you. Do you know what he's in town for?"

Frigga shook her head. "No."

"Alright." Maria opened her door. Let's get whatever you need here and get back to Sue's."

**-0-**

The puzzle ended quick enough, much to Thor and Tony's delight, and Steve and Loki's grief. "Okay, Mrs. Rogers, we'll be upstairs again, if you need us." Tony grabbed a reluctant Steve's hand and started dragging him up the stairs.

"Pray for us," the blonde called after his mother, and Thor sniggered before helping the strangely willing Loki off his chair.

Sue just looked a them weird before taking the puzzle part and putting it back in the box. "Don't do anything dangerous, boys."

"Of course not, Ma'am," Tony called back.

**-0-**

They got upstairs and the two youngest climbed onto the bed while Thor and Tony stood to examine them. "Mulan?" Tony asked, pointing to Loki. "The hair fits.

"Nah," Thor replied. "How 'bout Snow White? You said he looked like her before. And Steve can be Sleeping Beauty?"

Tony grinned. "Perfect.

* * *

**A/N: So should Thor and Tony get to start and finish the dress-up game, or should Sue come in before they can get any real damage done? :)**

**Tell me in a review!**


	16. Snow White

**A/N: The poll has been closed. Thank you to all who voted, in reviews and on the actual poll. Green wins! And I'm sorry to those who didn't get green with blue speckles.**

**:( This is another short chapter (only six hundred ninety nine words) 'cause I'm busy again today. Not much happens, but I hope you enjoy. :)  
**

* * *

"Let's start with Loki 'cause I think he'll be easiest," Tony said. "Steve, does your mom have a bow we can put in his hair or something anywhere?"

Steve bit his lip. "She's got a red scarf you could use."

"Fine, that'll have to do. Go get it." Steve scurried off and came back a few seconds later with the scarf.

"Let's make this his skirt instead of a hair tie," Thor said and everyone agreed. Loki stood and waited patiently while Thor and Tony tried to turn the scarf into a skirt, then a dress, then a skirt again, with occasional input from Steve. He was actually really happy that his friends were doing this. Even though usually when he asked to play dress-up, he was picturing himself in a knight's outfit, not...this.

Tony stuck his tongue out to the side as he tied some part of the scarf in a knot around Loki's waist and sighed in relief when it stayed. "Finished. Steve, can you see if your mom has a blue shirt?"

"I'll check," came the reply, and Thor said he'd go with him.

"Do I get to dress you up when I'm done?" Loki asked.

"Ahahahano. No way."

"Please?" Loki begged. "You'd make a great Bell," he complimented.

"Thanks, but my first answer stands tall."

"Fine... Can I do Thor?"

Tony grinned, but shook his head. "Nah, it wouldn't be fair. This is your gift to him for doing that Mickey Mouse puzzle. What'd you do to get to dress him up?"

"I guess nothing," Loki sighed.

"Yup. Nothing at all. So _please,_ leave poor Thor be."

Loki giggled and covered his mouth with his hand. "Back!" Thor yelled, running in with a shiny white shirt on a hanger.

Tony tried to whistle, but hadn't quite mastered it yet. "Why'd your mom buy _this?"_ He asked Steve, taking in all the sequence on it.

"I dunno," Steve said. "Girls like to get pretty. Apparently old ones too." Steve flushed and went rigid when he realized what he had just said. "Not that my mom's old!"

Tony was laughing so hard he was holding his hurting stomach. "I can't believe...you...just said _that_ about your _mom!"_

Thor was laughing as well, and Loki couldn't help it- so was he. "I mean old_er!"_ Steve clarified. "Not _old._"

"Sure, Steve," Tony agreed. "We believe you. And I promise not to tell your mom," he said, wiping a tear away.

"Anyway," Thor said, holding up the shirt. "This works, right?"

Tony shrugged. "Let's try it on."

Loki raised his arms and let the much too big shirt fall over him and frowned when the sequence scratched his arms. "The shiny stuff hurts."

Tony frowned. "Yeah. And it looks kinda funny, all quarter-sleeved like that."

"It's the best we could find."

"Guess it'll have to do," Tony huffed.

"Can I take it off now?" Loki asked.

"No! We need to get shoes! Come on, let's go to Mom's room," Steve said. "She's got alot and I don't wanna have to carry them all over the house."

"Across the hall," Tony corrected.

"_Fine,_ across the hall. But still... My legs are tired."

"Okay." Loki consented and picked up his skirt/scarf princess-style and started walking down the hall. When they got to Sue's room he sat down in a cushioned chair in front of her bureau. "Are they gonna have high heels?"

"I hope so," Tony said, looking around. "Oh, these are perfect! He held up gold (well, more like yellow, but they're kids) shoes with small heels. Let's try these."

Loki held up his skirt and stuck his foot out, letting his tennis shoes be replaced with dress shoes. "Am I done?" He asked when his toes had been pushed as far to the front as they could get them in hopes that the shoes would stay on.

"Yeah," Tony said. "And now it's Steve's turn. Oh, Sleeping Beauty," he called with a smile.

* * *

**Review, please!**


	17. Sleeping Beauty

**A/N: Hello! This is getting more and more difficult so I think I'm gonna slow down my updates soon. Think about it? 1,400 words every other/three days, or 500 words a day and a quicker end to the story? I'm goin' with first. :)**

**I almost forgot again! I had a little over 700 words written, then I took a break to post the next chapter of To Save His Life and then I was honestly ready to go to sleep early until I remembered that (oops) I haven't posted the seventeenth chapter yet! So I added about 400 words and shipped it off. :)  
**

**I hope you enjoy this! It feels a bit OOC (for this version) to me, but I hope that _is_ just me.  
**

* * *

"You were right when you said I'd be easier," Loki said, laughing at Steve's huffs and puffs at becoming a real life barbie doll.

Tony scowled. "Well, it's not _my_ fault _somebody_ thinks his dress should be blue!"

"It wasn't pink at the end of the movie!" Thor retaliated.

"It was a _mix!"_ Tony jumped up and yelled over Steve's head.

"Guys!" The younger blonde called out. "Why don't you do a mix now? Blue and pink. Pink shoes. Blue gloves. Yeah?"

"Or purple," Loki suggested.

The older boys stopped to consider that. "Yeah," they agreed. "Let's do that. The first one."

"Hey, are we allowed to use guy clothes?" Loki called from the closet. "Because your mom doesn't have anything that'd work."

"Yes!" Steve called back desperately before anyone else could disagree.

"Fine," Thor consented.

"But no pants!" Tony snapped. "Get a blanket or something if you have to." A few minutes later, Steve's outfit was complete as well, with pink shoes, a red bracelet, a pink nightgown (which was much too big for him) and an old blue shawl.

"Something's missing," Thor said, stroking an imaginary beard and examining the awkward Steve who was being taught how to hold up his skirt by Loki.

"Yeah," Tony sighed. "But I guess that's that. Nothing more we can do."

Thor hummed agreement, but paused and turned to the bureau with a diabolical grin. "Hey, Steve? Where does your mom keep her lipstick?"

Steve was about to answer in all innocence until he caught onto the other boy's plan and paled considerable. "Loki, _run!"_

Poor Loki didn't know what was wrong, but when your calm and quiet friend screams "run", you _run!_ There was just one problem, though. "But I'm wearing heels! And a _skirt!_"

"I don't care! Run!" Steve grabbed Loki's hand, picked up his skirt, and speedily shuffled out the door, with Thor and Tony falling over laughing behind them. As soon as the boys were down the hall they stopped to take off their shoes in order to travel down the stairs as close to safely as they could in their unusual clothing. "Mom!" Steve called out. "Mom! Mom!"

Sue came running at the desperation and urgency in her son's voice, but stopped at the bottom of the stairs when she saw them. "What- what are you wearing?" She laughed.

"Mrs. Rogers, please help us!"

"What's wrong?" She asked, resting a hand on her hip.

"I don't know..." Loki frowned, trying to pick his way carefully down the steps with speed. "But Steve said to run."

"They're gonna put _makeup_ on us, Mom! _Makeup!"_

Sue chuckled. "Makeup? Well, why didn't you tell me earlier?" She asked, climbing up the stairs.

"We didn't know," Steve said, turning and taking her hand. "Are you gonna stop them?"

"I'm going to make sure they don't wreck my eyeshadow," she replied.

Steve let out a sigh of relief, not realizing that she hadn't promised to help them. "Thanks, Mom. We're safe now, Loki," he assured his friend.

**-0-**

"I don't think they're coming back," Tony said when the younger boys had been gone over a minute.

"They should soon. We can get the eyeshadow ready and talk about colors while they're gone." Thor pulled out the makeup from various drawers and winked at Tony when he found a collection of different shades of blue.

"Boys?" Both kids' faces froze when they heard Mrs. Rogers out in the hall and they started to stuff the makeup back in drawers.

"Uh, yeah?" Tony yelled.

"I'm bringing Loki and Steve back and I want you to explain something to me."

"Um...Just a minute!" There wasn't panic in Thor's voice. There absolutely was no panic whatsoever. Not.

The door opened at the same time a lipstick cap fell off and Tony got the contents smeared across his palm. Thor giggled. "Caught red handed. Literally."

Tony scowled. "Thanks, Thor. _Great_ friend." He turned to his sitter. "Hey, Mrs. Rogers!" He greeted, shoving his hand behind his back. "What did you want to ask us?"

"Why didn't you invite me to that party?" Sue grinned at Steve's squeaked out "MOM!" "You _know_ I'm a good makeup artist. I don't even want to know what color schemes you were dreaming up. Loki first."

**-0-**

Frigga and Maria entered the house and found it disturbingly quiet. "Guys?" Frigga called out, entering the dining room and seeing the absence of her children. Maria checked the kitchen, dropping her purse on a chair on the way there and noticed some sandwiched half-made on a cutting board. She turned to Frigga and shrugged.

"Maybe they went for a walk or something?"

Frigga shook her head and started up the stairs. "Sue would have called us," she replied. "I'm sure they're just upstairs." Maria followed and they both picked up their pace when they heard little Loki laughing in Sue and Joe's room. "Guys?"

"Mom!" Loki came running out of the bedroom with a huge grin on his face. Frigga took his appearance surprisingly well and just smiled at his appearance.

"And who are you supposed to be, kind sir?" She curtsied and Loki giggled.

"I'm Snow White, fair lady!" He curtsied as well, but almost fell in his heels.

Maria chuckled and took his hand. "Did Sue do your makeup?"

Loki nodded. "Mhm! She did a really good job and used alot of glitter!"

The women laughed as they entered the room. "I can see that!"

Steve and Thor were sitting on the floor with an equal amount of makeup on their faces, dressed as what they could only guess were Cinderella and a colorful Sleeping Beauty. "Mom!" Thor blushed when he saw his mother and stood up, pointing. "It was Tony's idea!"

Frigga laughed and ushered Loki Steve's way, spotting Tony kneeling in front of Sue and squinting and cringing whenever she tried to apply eyeshadow. He sneezed when Sue tried blush and everybody laughed. "This isn't funny!" Tony complained and pulled back when Sue brought him closer! I didn't sign up for any of this!"

"You thought it was funny enough when I was doing it to Thor," Sue replied, concentrating on her job. Now sit still. This lipstick is hard to wash off."

"_Lipstick?"_ Tony escaped Sue's grip and fell on his back. "You promised not to!"

"I promised no lipgloss," Sue replied.

"It's the same thing," Tony grumbled.

"If Tony sits through this without any more complaints I'll take you all out for ice cream," Maria called out.

"Please, Tony!"

"I'm begging you, man!"

"It's been _ages_ since I had ice cream!"

The women laughed at how quickly the boys took to that idea and Sue was able to easily finish her makeover.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you liked it! Please review!**


	18. Ice Cream

**A/N: O_O It's been seventeen days since I updated this? _Seventeen?_ Sorry! I feel so ashamed! Neglecting! And I can't even claim it was an accident! I just re-found To Save His Life and jumped head first into that and I'm not even gonna _talk_ about real life, 'cause the lists of what to do could possibly never end! But that honestly is not a good enough excuse. *hangs head in shame* I'm sorry... Please forgive me.**

**Word Count: 1,453... Shorter than I had wanted, but I'm tired (again). Hopefully next chapter will be longer. :)**

**Ally and Guest, the replies to your reviews are at the bottom of the page.**

* * *

Tony had agreed, as everyone knew he would, and the mothers rounded their boys up into a group and taught them out to flutter their eyelashes and master the coy smile of a Disney princess. They were soon experts, and Frigga deemed the ready for picture taking. With the tallest (Thor and Steve) in the back, and Loki enthusiastically hugging a groaning Tony in the front, the first picture was taken. And another with Steve giving Thor a peck on the cheek - which was honestly the boys' idea. After a few more, Tony was putting up a fuss (more than normal) and everyone knew it was time to leave.

Sue was looking for her cell phone when they heard a car outside. Steve gasped and ran outside, letting the door slam shut behind him. "Daddy!" He yelled when he saw his father climb out of his car, jumping on the man and hugging him around the neck. Joe chuckled and pulled Steve up higher in his arms and took a look at his son. "Well," he exclaimed. "I don't remember inviting a _beautiful_ princess to my house!"

Steve giggled and let himself be put down - he was getting older, which meant bigger, which meant heavier. "Mom did it. Do I look ravishing?"

Joe blinked. "Who taught you _that_ word?" He asked taking his son's hand.

Steve frowned. "No one did, really. I just heard Mrs. Stark call Mom it last time she helped get ready for a date."

Joe chuckled and opened the door for his newly found daughter. "Well enough. Did you get dressed up for a party, or just for fun!"

"Ice cream!" Thor yelled as he ran into the entry way. We get ice cream!" He flushed when he saw the look Mr. Rogers was giving him and coughed. "It's our reward for sitting still and being good."

Joe full out laughed at that and gave Thor approval for his bravery. "So tell me," he said. "Was Mrs. Rogers scary with make up?"

"Yes!" Tony called out from the kitchen and the boys heard a mock harsh, "Shame on you!" from Maria.

"Where's Loki?"

"Here!" The youngest boy called, carefully walking down the stairs; Joe immediately recognized him as Snow White and hummed.

"I see," he said. "You're playing _Disney_ princesses."

"You didn't notice?" Steve frowned in disapproval, then looked at Loki who had just a few steps left. "He _is_ the prettiest, so I guess he's the most obvious too. I think it's his black hair, but Thor says it's the pale skin."

"And _I_ think it's my superb makeup job," Sue added, coming from the kitchen, phone in hand. "You boys ready to go?"

"Yeah," came the chorus of excited boys.

"Is Dad coming with us?" Steve asked.

"Nah, I think I'll pass." Joe smiled in honor at the disappointment that quickly filled the room. "Work was long and I need a break. Save a sundae for me, though."

"I'll get you a Ben and Jerry's on the way back," Sue said and gave him a kiss, pretending to ignore the "yuck!"s that went around.

"Alright! Load up in my car!" Frigga yelled. The house was soon empty except for Joe.

**-0-**

They pulled up at McDonalds and Loki was the first to hop out of the car. Thor was about to when his foot caught on his makeshift skirt and he gasped. "We forgot to change again!" He panicked, and Tony quickly joined in.

Steve and Loki just looked confused. "We were supposed to change?"

"No," Frigga said. "This was an unspoken part of the deal. We all go get ice cream in dresses.

"Mom's not wearing a dress! And neither are you!" Tony exclaimed, and Frigga frowned.

"True... Let me rephrase that. _You_ all have to get ice cream in dresses."

"Mom," Thor whined and Sue cut in.

"Let _me_ rephrase _that._ Everyone but Thor gets ice cream."

Everyone but Thor laughed and they all piled out of the car after an impatient cough from Loki, Maria taking orders on their way to the door.

After a few minutes of waiting, everyone sat down and Sue passed out the sundaes, the flavors varying from caramel to hot fudge.

**-0-**

"Thor, you've got ice cream all over your face!" Frigga huffed and stood from her chair, reaching for Thor. "I don't understand how you manage this. Look at Loki; his face is perfectly clean." She couldn't help but smile when Loki blushed and ducked his head from the praise. "Come on, let's go wash it off before we have to leave."

Thor scooted from his own seat and took his mother's offered hand. "Can't we play a bit longer?" Thor whined, addressing the last of his mother's words.

"You've been playing for almost an hour now and it's near bed time."

"Not mine!" Tony yelled smugly, licking the last of the caramel off his spoon... and was told not to brag by two mothers at once.

In the restroom, Frigga bent down with a damp paper towel to get the chocolate off. "Mom?"

"Hmm?" Was the distracted response - because cleaning your son's face can be quite a difficult task at times.

"Are we gonna go back to Dad?" Frigga stopped and stared into her serious son's eyes. After a few moments she cleared her throat and scrubbed some sauce from his cheek.

"I don't know, Thor. It really depends on if he's going to be nice to Loki. I think we will, because no matter how angry he can get sometimes, your father's a smart man."

"Smart enough to realize how good Loki is?"

Frigga fought back the unexpected instant tears and smiled. "Yes. I hope so." She kissed his forehead before getting back to work, but was stopped again.

"Mom, I _can_ wash my own face, you know."

**-0-**

"Maria?" Frigga and Thor were gone and the other boys were off playing again. Sue took the opportunity to talk.

"Yeah?" Maria looked up with a smile that turned into a frown. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing... With me, I mean. I just- Is Frigga okay? She seems really jumpy."

Maria sighed and placed a hand over her friend's. "I think she is. She just found out - well, I'm sure she'll tell you when she has the chance." Her friends smiled. "She's going through a tough time and it _isn't over._ It's actually still just the first day."

Sue chewed her lip. "If you ask me, it's been coming for a while now. I mean, it wasn't as good as we thought, but Odin's always been... harsh with Loki."

Maria hummed and pulled a book out of her purse. "I agree. But I didn't expect it to all happen like this. I admire Frigga, though... For taking the boys and leaving right away. I waited to long and there are things I wish Tony didn't have to have gone through." She looked up and let a fresh smile fall over her face. Frigga was coming. "Ready to go?"

**-0-**

Later that night Sue climbed into bed after making sure Frigga was comfortable in the guest bedroom and promising to drop Tony off at Maria's in the morning. Joe rolled over to one side when she came in and wrapped an arm around her when she was settled. "Should I ask why Frigga and the boys are staying the night?"

Sue mentally smacked herself for not explaining sooner. "They've run into some trouble with Odin. Apparently...Loki's way of getting to the world wasn't as forgiven and forgotten as we thought. They're staying here until it's sorted out. Sorry for not telling you until now."

Joe kissed her on the head and rubbed her arm. "Don't worry, It's fine. Did you think I'd mind?"

"No, but I _still_ should have told you."

Joe chuckled. "Well, I can't deny that." He sighed and the there was silence for a few seconds. "Is Frigga okay?"

"Maria seems to think so, and I'm inclined to to trust her judgement. I think Frigga has something else to tell me, though, and I'm hoping to find out tomorrow. Would you mind watching the kids in the morning while the girls and I go out?"

"Not at all. I deserve a day off work, actually. I haven't had much time to spend with Steve."

Sue hummed and closed her eyes. "Thanks, Hon."

* * *

**A/N: Yup! There's a that! I hope you enjoyed this! As usual, ****_please_**** review! I'm not sure whether Chapter 17 wasn't liked or people just aren't in the mood to leave notes anymore.**

**If you have nothing to review about (which seems to be my problem quite a few times) tell me what you thought of Joe! :)**

**Ally:**

**(Chapter 9) I know. I feel terrible for not feeling guilty. :)**

**(Chapter 10) If you didn't like Movie Little Loki... Hm, the best I can think of is a dark-haired, green-eyed Draco Malfoy in years 1 and 2 of Harry Potter. :/ That's almost a disturbing thought. Great idea with the gang. Someone else asked for some teen H/C on Loki, and that could be played into a gang real well. :) I guess we'll see how it turns out.**

**Oh, really? Thanks! :) I thought mine were mostly skipped over as well.**

**(Chapter 11) I'm glad you like it. I was actually afraid that my readers were going to get upset with what Frigga did. :)**

**(Chapter 13) Me too. Good, 'cause that's what I'm leaning towards. :)**

**(Chapter 14) One of you favorites? O_O I'm not ****_that_**** good! :) Good, 'cause the Laufey subject is probably going to bring a lot of stress. You guessed? Awesome! I wasn't sure anyone had.**

**Guest: Updated! :)**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed, and/or reviewed! :D It's all very much appreciated!**


	19. Can I Stop Reminding Him?

**A/N: You have the write to scorn me. I have failed you all. *sniffles* And I can't even blame writer's block or business! Well, not _much._ They've both been bitches at times, but not _that_ bad. This was mostly a lack of interest and fear that my fanfictions have been getting out of whack. _And_ jumping head first back into the Narnia fandom and writing some of that... So I stand guilty before you, and can't even offer a huge chapter as a peace offering.**

**But the next one should be up soon. *grins nervously***

**Seriously, guys, you have _no idea_ how guilty I feel.**

**Word Count: 1,198**

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The next day Frigga was fixing her hair in the downstairs bathroom, with the help of the large mirror. She was just about done when she saw Loki poke his head through the open doorway. His eyes were wide and his normally combed-back hair was hiding most of his eyes, like he had just woken up. "Loki? Do you need something, dear?" Loki froze when he found his mother had noticed him so quickly, but soon enough, he timidly nodded his head. Frigga put down her brush and pulled him in. "What is?" She asked once he was seated on the counter. "What do you need?"

"I-" Loki started, but his voice caught on something and he coughed. After a few seconds he started again, this time quiet enough that Frigga had to lean in to hear him easily. "I was thinking about what you said... About Dad. If it isn't right to... to yell at me, then why does he?" Loki looked up and searched his mother's face with eyes so desperate and lost her heart ached.

Frigga was caught in the scrambles of her own mind. What to say? "Because, Loki-"

"Is it really 'cause he doesn't like me? Does he really want me gone?"

"No, Lo- What?" Frigga had been reaching out to hug him, but pulled him back at arms' length to see his face and whether he was serious. "Who told you that?"

"No one- kind of. Steve talked about his adoption - that his parents gave him away. Then he said that Dad likes me 'cause he hasn't done that yet. But isn't that why we're here right now? 'Cause Dad doesn't want me? But you do, so you came with?" The little boy's eyes filled with overflowing tears and Frigga picked him up and rested his had on her shoulder to keep him from seeing her own.

"Loki, of course your dad wants-" she stopped. Even when she never wanted to hurt her son, she never wanted to lie to him either. "Dad's just going through a tough time right now."

"But why isn't he mad at Thor? Did I do something really bad? 'Cause - 'cause I don't remember it!"

Frigga sat down on the edge of the tub after closing the door, still holding Loki. "Now, listen to me carefully, Loki." She pulled the hair back from his eyes and wiped away his still falling tears with her sleeve. "You know that every parent is bad in _at least_ one way."

Loki sniffled and helped with the last of his tears. "But- you're not bad. Are you, Mama?"

Frigga smiled sadly and held his shoulders, ignoring his question for the moment. "Some people aren't good parents, in the way that they make mistakes almost all the time, and that means that life isn't happy, or good, for their children. They want to fix their problems, but they can't. So when they _do_ have children, they can't take care of them right, but they still want them to have a good life, and someone to love them even when they don't. So they give their children to other people. Like Steve's.

"Others don't want their children at all and give them away simply because they don't care what happens. That's what you've assumed Dad wants to do for you. But you _are_ wrong, Loki. Dad isn't like that. He's... different. Complicated. When he's angry about something, he tries to forget about it. Sometimes it works, and everything can go back to normal without any more problems. But sometimes, something reminds him about it, he gets upset again. But instead of going after the source, he goes after the reminder.

"I..." Frigga stopped, wondering how to phrase what she wanted to say. "You have no ideas how many mistakes I've made, Loki. But I try to fix them; make them better. Most of the time, it works. But Dad is different. I did something that Odin didn't like, and that wasn't very smart, a long time ago, a little bit before you were born. In fact, your dad found out about it the _day_ you were born. For some reason, your father's mad at you for what happened, even though it really isn't your fault at all." She sighed. There was absolutely no other way she could think of to say it without leading to supposed disaster, but this didn't seem right. "Does that make any sense, Dear?"

Loki wore a deep frown on his face, but after a while he nodded slowly. "Can I stop... reminding him somehow?"

Frigga exhaled and leaned their foreheads together. "I don't think so, Loki. It's up to him to change that. But until he's changed, I'd rather keep him away from you and Thor."

"Why?" Loki put his tiny hand on his mother's cheek and she smiled.

"Because he makes you sad. And I don't ever want any of my boys to be sad."

Right after Loki let himself smile, a knock came to the door. "Frigga?" Maria called. "We're ready to go. How much longer do you think you'll need?"

Frigga sniffed and wiped a stray tear from her face. "I'm done now. I'll meet you at the front door." They heard the footsteps recede and Frigga took Loki of her lap and started to leave, but a little voice stopped her.

"Mama? What did you do that was bad?"

Frigga felt her heart lighten at that question, oddly enough, and turned, smiling warmly. "I didn't say it was bad, Loki. I said it wasn't smart and Dad didn't like it."

Loki frowned, confused. "Isn't that bad?"

Frigga chuckled and took his hand. "Sometimes it is, but not this time." She walked out of the room, trying to think of a good analogy. "Was Belle being bad when she freed here father by giving herself to the beast?"

"No." Loki thought again. "Well, kind of. Her dad told her not to."

"But would you punish her, given the chance?"

"Never!" Her innocent boy cried.

"Would you rather her not have stayed in the castle?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because then she wouldn't have fallen in love, and the beast wouldn't have turned human."

"Exactly. What I did before was a bit rash, and your dad didn't like it too much, but a lot of good came from it, and if I had the chance to change it, I wouldn't."

Loki smiled and hugged his mom's waist when he caught on to what she was saying. "What'd you do, though?"

"I might tell you some day, Loki. But I'm afraid you might not understand, like your dad doesn't. At least not right now. Maybe when you're older. Alright?"

Loki wrinkled his nose. "Do I have to be older than Dad?"

Frigga laughed and pulled her son closer. "No, I doubt you will."

* * *

**A/N: So I am extremely unhappy with this chapter, and I want you guys to tell me if something (anything) needs changing. Seriously. Don't hold back, _please._**

**Well, I'm about to drop from exhaustion, so nap time! I hope you enjoyed reading... Please review.**

**l**

**V**


	20. Coffee

**A/N: I come before you people in shame and fifty eight apologies. And no excuse for this chapter. It's jumbled and... and... I'm tired. Sorry. I think I need to look through it again since I wasn't able to find the root of the problem this time. And _please_ tell me if you don't like anything... 'Cept the fact thast Frigga had an affair. :)**

**My reasons for taking months to update?**

**1. The Hobbit! _The House of Durin_ has been taking up most of my fanfiction time. Turns out Fili and Kili as children are almost as good as miniAvengers! :D**

**2. My friend had finally got me to watch Star Wars. And while I haven't written anything for that yet... Just you wait. I've got something in my head, plotting itself away. Aaaaaand knowing me, he'll be a kid soon enough... Probably some device changed him instead of just going back in time considering I haven't done that yet and - Oops. Babbling! :)  
**

**3. Real world.**

**...Yeah, I think that's it.**

**Word Count: 1,075**

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Frigga, Maria and Sue all sat down at a little coffee shop, their drinks in hand. They sat and sipped, not sure where to start, until Maria traditionally broke the silence. "Well, finally," she said, earning to quizzical looks. "I mean, not that I _wanted_ you to ever have a tough time, Frigga, but I was getting pretty lonely in the 'I have - slash - had marriage problems' club." At the girls' laughs, she put down her coffee. "I mean it! I swear, Joe's an angel in disguise, and Odin was - until now - a master of denial. While yes, Richard has the best name, and yes, the best looks, and yes, I _know_ I have the most fun when it gets to night time," she ignored her friends' cried of scandal and denial, "I was the only gal who ever had to deal with... _problems_! She sighed in mock relief, and rested her head on Frigga's shoulder. "But I'm no longer alone, and my club officially has two members."

Frigga laughed and shoved her friend off. "Well, I'm glad it makes _you _so happy. I, on the other hand, was happy to watch your meetings from a distance. And if you don't mind, I'd like out."

That only partially sobered the mood, but the girls caught on that it was time to actually talk. "What do you plan to do?" Sue asked.

Frigga sighed and rubbed a hand over her face. "Am I supposed to know? I keep trying to find things to say or do, but every single time, there's something that doesn't work out. Loki asked me today why Odin yelled at him; if it was bad."

"Bad?" Maria looked confused.

"Bad as in 'is Odin a bad father and does he treat me wrong?'."

"And what did you say?" Sue asked quietly before taking a sip of her coffee.

"I said that yes, it's bad... but he's complicated and needs to sort a few things out, and while he's doing that, we stay with you."

"So you said it like you're going back to him?" Maria asked, only barely hiding her disappointment.

"Is there another way to phrase it?" Frigga looked up and saw the obvious answer in both her friends' eyes. "I can't just leave him," she whispered. "He hurt Loki and I- I know I can't stand for that. I don't now, and I never will. But at the same time, I _do _believe that the boys need a father. And I need a husband. I just - I don't know what to do. I _love_ Odin. I've been married to him for over ten years; how can I not? I can't imagine life without him at this point. But I can't live with him when he blames Loki for my affair."

"Frigga." Sue took her best friend's hand and squeezed it. "I think it's obvious what you should do; exactly what Maria did. I understand that you love Odin, I _really do._ But your and your children's safety, mental or physical, is not worth an emotional attachment. If Odin can't be at least civil with Loki for the boy's sake, maybe he will for yours. Threaten to divorce him. Call it a test if you will. But if Odin refuses to accept Loki, then you _have to leave him._"

"But-"

"I agree with Sue," Maria cut in. "You can't go back to Odin in_ hopes_ that he'll change. He needs to fix himself up before you step inside that house again."

Frigga pursed her lips and frowned. "You're right. I know you're right. But what if he says no? What if he refuses to let Loki in? I'm out of a house without a husband or a job, and I have two boys with me."

"You'll never be out of a house, Frigga. He'd be the one to find a new place. You're always welcome in our homes and neither Maria or I have jobs; we can baby sit the kids while you're finding a job, then at work."

"I can't do that to you, _or_ the boys. They can't live like that, especially not Loki. He's somehow got it into his head that Odin kicked him out of the house, but Thor and I liked him enough that we went with. I tried to shake that out of him, but if we permanently move out, that's all he'll think. And he _still_ doesn't know why Odin hates him so much - not really."

"I would stop trying to redeem Odin," Maria said, taking Frigga's other hand. "Unless you flat out say that Odin is a bad parent and Loki shouldn't think of him as a role model, then Loki's always going to be searching himself for a fault. Don't tell Loki, or he'll most likely hate himself. Just tell him to stop looking for approval, 'cause Odin's blind."

Frigga nodded but let go of Sue's hand to wipe some tears out of her eyes and held her breath for a few seconds. "There's a risk in that too, though. What if Odin _does_ fix himself up? Then Loki no longer cares about him or listens to him. He isn't his son."

"You're right." Sue nodded. "He isn't his son." When both Frigga and Maria looked at her she licked her lips. Maria doesn't think that you should tell Loki he's not Odin's because he'll resent his entire existence. But he's a smart boy, and _unbelievably_ trusting of you. If you tell him what happened and that it wasn't bad, he'll believe you."

* * *

Laufey Karmin carded a hand through his hair and unlocked his hotel door. Once he was in he tossed his keys on a small table and shrugged out of his grey jacket. It was definitely odd being in this town, after about seven years. The only reason he _was_ back was thank heavens, temporary; just a few lectures at some collages. And if he had any luck left in this world, he wouldn't even have to see Odin Bursen. A small grimace took up on Laufey's lips when he thought of that man. He'd done his best _not_ to over the past few years, but - Honestly... Why Frigga ever married that man, Laufey will never know.

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**Do I even deserve to ask you to review? No? Well, I guess I've begged before._ Please!_  
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